I Hate You Too: Real Version
by twilightmask
Summary: I had uploaded this on a friend's account, and now I'm going to do it on my own: Shadow's unsure about trusting others, but can he cling onto faded memories of Maria forever or can he look past that? RougeXShadow
1. Shadow

**I Hate You Too**

"Hmph." A dark, shadowy reply to the beginning of another day. The morning light trickled into the long alleyway. Blood-crimson eyes slowly opened up as they took in the bright beams. A hand brushed through jet-black fur, with streaks of that same blood color. Shuffling forward, the creature gazed upward at the sun. A cloud blotted out the light, before he ran off again. He traveled swiftly and smoothly at maximum speeds; dodging and cutting through rows and rows of cars. The gossamer hedgehog paid no mind to the angry honks and drivers. The road bended suddenly, and the pathway was once again familiar. Racing down the streets he stopped abruptly at one cozy, little home. He knocked quickly, and tapped an angry and impatient foot at the lack of response.

"I'm coming!" an energetic voice finally called. A face popped out and then grinned.

"Well, looky who it is! It's…"

"Shadow…Shadow the hedgehog." He finished before the blue one. He pouted almost comically before mockingly joking,

"Sorry, Mr. Ultimate Life-form!" Shadow gave a stern look and turned away.

"Fine, fine, come on in." The blue hedgehog sighed and motioned inside. Shadow turned once more and smirked at the naïve hedgehog before stepping in. He was greeted by numerous faces.

"Hiya, Shadow!" a pink hedgehog nuisance cheerfully exclaimed.

"How've you been doing?" a young, witty kitsune remarked. Merely grunting at everyone until, the last friend said "hello".

"What've you been up to, Shadow?" Shadow glanced toward the forgotten figure in the corner of the room. She sipped a bit of tea and smiled at him when he acknowledged her existence. Her bright, shimmering eyes danced with happiness. Shadow moved away and sat on the opposite side. The bat's eyes scrunched up with anger, and she sniffed; turning away from the guest.

"C'mon guys, not now!" The blue hedgehog, Sonic, pleaded.

"They're always getting into some sort of predicament!" The pink one, Amy, scoffed.

"Well, they weren't like that when they were both on the doctor's side…maybe he's just bored and trying to get some fun in his life." An echidna replied lazily.

"Oh, Mr. Shadow!" A bright bunny in an orange dress, Cream, said.

"Chaaoo!" Her trusty companion, Cheese remarked directly after her.

"Does this always happen?" Cream inquired Tails. She was young, and frequently querying everyone.

"Uh, not really, but to them…it's everyday life." Tails laughed nervously. Everyone began talking, scolding and arguing. Until, the dark hedgehog finally spoke, frankly, very agitated,

"Can you all just be quiet?" Everyone's mouths shut and fear crept unto the young children's faces as Shadow shot them a death glare. The young kids, like Cream, were here so Shadow was careful of his words. He wasn't about to curse right now. They were all annoying. The sleek hedgehog meant well…for himself. They were too noisy, just like Eggman and his maniacal laugh. The silence that filled the room was suddenly apparent to Shadow and he felt uneasy. The other blue hedgehog couldn't stand the stillness…it was to be expected.

"You don't have to be so pushy about it." Sonic bravely whispered. Shadow waved a stray hand to signal the start of the talking once more. Why should he care anymore? It felt odd…all the same anyways. The red echidna sighed,

"How's anybody supposed to live with **him**?" Shadow shot him a cold, hard glare. Knuckles backed down.

"So, Rouge, you busy tonight?" Knuckles flashed a bright smile changing the subject completely. The young bat-girl rolled her bright azure eyes and replied slowly.

"Knuckles the echidna, yes, surprisingly I am busy; I'm busy running my club!" She moved a lock of ivory fur out of her eyes and relaxed again while genuinely smiling at the defeated look on Knuckles's face. The echidna scoffed and settled down into a chair, his mood shifting quickly.

"Fine! I have other plans, Rouge the bat!" He replied in an agitated tone of voice. Rouge knew very well otherwise. Knuckles had probably been looking forward to spending time with her. Didn't everyone? She thought a little too vainly. Everybody else laughed at Knuckles' stupidity. Shadow smirked but, then stared out the window again. The clouds had gathered and rain splashed down onto the hard ground. It was calming, hearing the raindrops. He still seemed lonely and excluded from everyone. Tails the kitsune noticed this and whispered to Sonic,

"Maybe we should try to include Shadow in our conversations." Tails hopefully waited for an answer from the blue hedgehog. He thought for a moment about what to say, tapped his chin while thinking hard and then strode on up to Shadow.

"Hey, buddy…" Sonic started.

"I'm not your buddy." Shadow cut him off. Sonic gave Shadow an annoyed look but merely replied,

"Yea, yea, okay. So, I was wondering, you know how you're always staying in that cold alleyway?"

"Yes, and what about it?" Shadow carefully answered.

"Well, you wanna stay at my house tonight?" Sonic gave a funny-looking grin and placed a hand on the hedgehog's shoulder but, Shadow turned it down, shoving off the unwanted hand.

"No." his cold and harsh reply came as quickly as he'd shoved.

"I don't need your dumb sympathy, I'm fine." The dark hedgehog frowned at the kitsune who had brought up the suggestion. Sonic's face fell; he walked up back to the crest-fallen kitsune and said,

"Well, I tried." Tails sighed and went back to tinkering with his new experiments. Ever since Rouge and Shadow had come back once more away from Eggman's side, the hedgehog had been moody. Everyone else did well though. Sonic was toying with Eggman frequently, Amy and Cream always cooked, sewed or played in the flowers, and Knuckles usually helped with Tails and who were always busy with anything mechanical. Rouge took up a job and managed her own club, Club Rouge, while Shadow had resorted to living by himself in an alleyway. He felt too proud to slink up to them and plead for a place to stay. He sometimes felt horrible, what kind of great person deserved to live in an alleyway? Other times he took it as fate and let it be. His moods were always unexpected and different everyday. The hedgehog was smart enough to know that he was lonely lots of times though. He visited the comrades often; they usually all met at the blue hedgehog's house. Feeling no obligation to stay any longer he got up and started toward the door. It was boring and nothing was including him. Sonic's voice rang loud and clear as he asked once more,

"You sure?" the dark hedgehog stopped momentarily but continued without throwing a glance behind. He slammed the door and vanished into the now rainy day. Mist covered his tracks and everyone sighed again.

"He's always so arrogant!" Amy stated.

"No doubt about it!" Knuckles agreed. Sonic glanced over at both of them,

"I think all he needs is a real friend, he considers us losers…"

"No, really!" Knuckles mockingly replied. There was a touch of annoyance and anger in the echidna's voice, but thankfully no one picked up anything except his sarcasm. Sonic scowled and dropped the matter. Rouge placed down her cup abruptly and thanked Amy and Cream for the little treat.

"I have to be leaving now, you never know what kind of people will stay at my club!" she winked at the young girls and they nodded in response. Knuckles growled,

"For all I know, she's off to find that stupid, stuffy, son of a…" The snow-white bat smacked Knuckles upside the head. While clutching his head, Knuckles bent down in apology, his eyes never leaving the floor.

"Now, why would she try to visit Shadow?" Amy asked the down-trodden echidna.

"He'd probably just turn her down for whatever she asked for." The pink hedgehog responded again. Knuckles nodded and slunk back into his chair, embarrassed. He'd always been an overprotective echidna; whether it was the master emerald or Rouge herself, he was wary. Everyone laughed and waved "good-bye" as the white bat flew off into the distance, her plum wings slicing the air as she went. Thoughts were racing through her mind. When she arrived promptly at the club she slipped in, soggy and tired. She ran up the stairs into her room above the club, changed quickly into a plain, somewhat tight purple dress and applied more makeup. She couldn't help herself. The bat had always wanted to please the eye. Checking every last detail to be sure she was flawless, approvingly, she stepped out her door. Coming back down, she noticed a shady person in the corner. Recognizing it as Shadow, she was a little surprised. She really **didn't** know who would show up at her club. She chuckled slightly. Now why would he be here? She questioned herself. Knuckles was right…except it was visa versa. He'd come to her club, that wasn't the same thing. It was strange. Rarely did he ever talk to her anymore, or better yet, visit. She thought it was because after they'd both left Eggman, there was no reason for him to see anyone anymore. It was funny seeing him again…alone.

"Hey, what are you doing in my club?" the bat playfully grinned and Shadow smirked.

"I'm allowed to come, it's a public place." Rouge sighed; she never got a straight answer from the mysterious hedgehog.

"No, I mean really." Shadow glanced up from his laid-back position and responded sharply,

"Well, you don't see many clubs do you? Thought I might check out the only one in town." The bat raised an eyebrow but saw his point. She was slightly hurt by his choice of tone nevertheless but what could a girl expect? Rouge asked herself once more. Inhaling deeply she stepped into her own hell,

"You don't always have to be the shadowy one, stop trying to act cool." She remarked only to laugh nervously. Talking back to him…that usually did it in for her. That was making fun of his attitude. She was almost certain that he would leave and shoot her one of those gazes that were hard and made you apologize, inside and out. The hedgehog kept quiet though, not moving a muscle. He didn't like being noticed. Thankfully, he didn't strike back with any harsh tone so the bat took it a step further. Rouge wasn't the type of girl to take "no" for an answer, that much anyone knew right off the bat. **(No pun intended XD)** She reached over, grabbed his arm tightly and dragged him an empty seat. Rouge felt weird actually making the ultimate life-form do what she wanted to do, but it was possible. The uncomfortable hedgehog glanced away, but let her take him. He would be dragged back to the same place either way. Just repeating the same action would draw more attention. This place wasn't much more than a seedy pub. The shifty hedgehog angrily retorted himself. He hated the drunk men, the suggestive women, all of that. Immediately a golden cat girl and her friends surrounded him. He was disgusted by their comments already,

"Well, look at this hedgehog."

"Never seen you around here."

"Mmm, neither have I, but I'm about to learn a little about **you** mister." When Rouge noticed this, she felt a twang of jealousy…absent-mindedly she shooed that thought out of her mind and flew over to the little group leaving her station at the microphone. People noticed her lack of entertaining her guests now, but let it slide.

"Hey, girls, why don't y'all take a hike?" Rouge confidently leaned on the table in front of the seductive girls. The group looked up and one of them sneered,

"Why? He your boyfriend?" Rouge colored for a moment then slapped the girl hard. Shadow wasn't a bad guy; she just didn't want to be grouped in the same category as him really. The girl squealed in a high-pitched voice and held her cheek, it was now red and the rest of the girls' eyes bugged out. The golden cat, apparently the leader and the one she smacked, stood up slowly, eyes fiery. The club became deathly quiet. This was a new kind of entertainment for them.

"You wanna make a scene? You want everyone to know about this club and its manager's horrible manners?" the cat spat out getting ready to give Rouge a taste of her own foul medicine.

"No, now just leave." Rouge growled. The cat's tail swished and she replied,

"Not unless I take him with me." She motioned toward Shadow placing a cold, shallow glove on his shoulder.

"C'mon, don't you wanna leave ugly here and come with us?" she seductively asked again, with big eyes. The hedgehog raised an eyebrow and pushed the girl's face away. Too close, he thought to himself. That was the last straw for Rouge; she lashed out at the girl and beat her angrily along with her friends. The bat couldn't control herself. She didn't know why she was defending the hedgehog, he didn't need it. At least she was repaying him for the multiple times beforehand of him rescuing her from distress. The agitated bat kicked, slammed and hit the girls without a sign of let up. People screamed and others ran away from the massacre. Shadow showed no sign of helping the girls; he was just enjoying his show. Inwardly, Rouge was happy he didn't intervene. It would have only made her even more irritable. The girls' faces became splattered with blood. Having no experience in battle or even defending themselves, they weakly got up and sobbed. The group immediately ran away from the site,

"Get away, you monster!"

"Freak!" another girl screamed.

Rouge angrily had everyone leave; the club was closed for now. Shadow had a questioning look on his face.

"They call **you** a freak?" Shadow inquired out loud. She was far from anything he considered a freak. Rouge was busy shooing away bystanders and telling them to forget everything that happened there. The bat had forgotten Shadow so he kept sitting. She eventually noticed and whirled around to face the lazy hedgehog. Her eyes were spitting mad and seemed to yell at him to leave.

"Does that mean me too?" he asked as he pointed to himself, leaned back in a chair, playing dumb.

"Yes, yes it does!" Rouge wailed, burying her head in her hands and sunk onto the stage next to her forgotten microphone…where she should've stayed. Shadow felt sympathy so he leaned forward, hesitantly. Oh, how he hated to see people cry. It made him feel responsible and not any better for that matter. To try to keep her from crying he remarked,

"Those girls were…"

"Yea, I know." Rouge softened a little but, immediately fired back up,

"Now leave me alone!" she screamed in rage. Shadow felt like his feet were glued to the ground though. He couldn't just leave the poor bat to cry her eyes out. She was previously his partner anyways. That would be selfless; Shadow wasn't selfless, just a little withdrawn. Thinking of how to improve the situation, Knuckles popped into his mind. Maybe he should get Knuckles, they were…together.

"I'm a little upset if you haven't noticed." The bat hotly remarked as Shadow was standing still, deep in his thoughts.

"I'm not blind." The dark hedgehog replied angrily, he was busy thinking. I'm not blind like a bat, Shadow rudely thought. Rouge was deeply hurt by the girls' comments and he knew it. Knowing that he couldn't leave her, he ran his fingers though his thick fur in exasperation. Suddenly, he noticed that it had been oddly quiet for more than ten seconds now. Wanting to make sure she was still awake and with everyone he reached out to tap her shoulder. Surprisingly, Rouge slapped his hand away, sapphire eyes glinting.

"I hate you! Just leave…leave!" Rouge impatiently snapped. Shadow felt completely angry now. His lips drew together tightly and he inhaled sharply. He was just trying to help the poor bat but, he realized that that wasn't an option anymore.

"Fine, I will! Surprisingly, I _**hate**_ you too!" Shadow screamed back at the ungrateful bat, dragging out the word "hate". Feeling no need again to stay anymore, he zipped off. She called after him as he sped away. Whenever the dark hedgehog tried something it always ended up wrong, why should he care anyways? People seemed to just hate the poor creature. Never again should he make an attempt to do something out of the ordinary, he promised himself. That was a very hard promise…he would just break it… again, the hedgehog thought dully. Those "out-of-the-ordinary" actions were sometimes a touch too difficult and usually, he ended up in the wrong place, at the wrong time. He was still upset when he reached the alleyway he curled up in his cardboard box-home. He thought about everything again. His life, the scene, whatever he did, was a mess up. Why bother? He reassured himself again and gave in to slumber.

AN: Hello. :) This is one of the first Sonic stories I wrote a while ago. I'm actually a seasoned author on DA, but decided to upload these stories onto FF for mixed reviews. Please comment, it helps me! I like critiques, and accept all of them gladly~! And all you silent readers (don't worry, I was one too) if you really like my stories, please get an account and comment~! It's really not that hard! jk, you don't have to, but I love all of you! Swear!


	2. Knuckles

Morning arrived quickly and Shadow was upset to have to rise with the sun. He went down to a fast-food restaurant and ate. Chewing slowly he thought about what had happened. Rouge had probably gone home and had hopefully forgotten everything. Shadow didn't forget easily though, it still bothered him. When he finished the horribly greasy food and rushed off to the park. The dark hedgehog liked staying there. It was very calming and the brook that ran through the green area was nice and cool. Sitting underneath a willow tree he thought about how to return back and…well, she was angry at him. What was he thinking then and there, his moves made there were all idiotic, trying help? What more could he do? Who would ever appreciate…the ultimate life-form? Those questions clouded his mind. He had been thinking a lot. Throwing a smooth pebble onto the brook's surface he thought deeply about the situation. Knuckles knew Rouge; maybe he would do a better job of making her feel better. He decided to see if at Sonic's house, things were brighter and better. He reached the home in record time. The blue hedgehog immediately opened the door,

"I saw a black streak running down the street and I thought, 'Hey that must be Shadow!'!" Shadow was in no mood for Sonic's playfully dumb behavior so he pushed him aside and sunk into a soft chair. Sonic saw that he was troubled and stood next to him,

"What's wrong?" he asked the other hedgehog sympathetically…annoyingly as well.

"Everything!" Shadow replied angrily once more. Sonic breathed in heavily and began,

"I heard about what happened last night at the…"

"Well?!?! What you think I'm angry about?!?!" Sonic moved from his spot to another chair directly across from the agitated hedgehog.

"I actually don't know. I don't know if you're angry at those girls or how Rouge…" Shadow cut him off once again,

"Both!!!" he yelled. Sonic calmly took it in; he had been taking anger management classes so he wouldn't yell at Shadow or anything too often so he knew what to do.

"Those girls, I understand why, but why Rouge?" Shadow saw his fatal error as Sonic smirked.

"Because, she didn't even thank me for trying to…" Shadow almost let out the part about him trying to help her. That would make Sonic ballistic…and it did,

"Shadow the ultimate life-form has feelings because he likes Rouge!" Sonic wailed.

"Shut up you fool! I do not!" Shadow growled, his voice threatening to never let the other hedgehog live it down. Sonic flashed a smile and replied,

"Playing hard to get are we?"

"Argh!" Shadow yelled while banging his head.

"It's okay to let out our feelings, Shadow!" Sonic teased while rolling on the floor laughing. **(rofl XD)** The stiff hedgehog threw him a look and controlled his anger slowly.

"I just feel bad that she was all crying and everything…wouldn't you? She didn't even thank me for trying to get her to stop crying." Shadow chose his words very carefully. Sonic paused his endless bantering and thought.

"Not if it was Amy…" he trailed off.

"Stop joking." Shadow commanded

"I came here hoping that things would be a little better but, I guess I'm wrong…" he replied and stomped out the door.

"It's absolutely worthless!" he called out loud so the other hedgehog could hear him. People were always out to get him, he concluded to himself. He saw Knuckles, ran up to him, and grabbed the echidna's shoulder.

"So, how's Rouge?" was the first question out of the dark hedgehog's mouth. He was good at keeping his emotions hidden and made it seem like an innocent question.

"Fine, no thanks to you!" the echidna angrily remarked pulling away. Knuckles was just angry at him…the hedgehog's covering up would do no good. Knuckles's comment stung though and Shadow was taken aback at the echidna. He had tried.

"Like you were any help when she was in need." Shadow replied with a deeper and darker tone of voice…it could've been interpreted as scary but there was a teasing edge to his statement. The echidna stopped walking and whirled around,

"You saying I'm a bad boyfriend?!?!" Knuckles's eyes were fiery.

"Maybe! You have a problem with that echidna?" he spat out angrily. The boys began brawling in front of Sonic's home and immediately he knew he needed help. He called up Amy, Cream, Tails, and yes, Rouge to help solve the matter. When they arrived, they were horrified at the scene. Shadow was pounding Knuckles into the Earth and when Knuckles recovered he leapt up and punched Shadow hard in the face with his spiked fist.

"Guys, stop it!" Tails wailed helplessly. Cream screamed in terror as the fight continued and gained elevation.

"You guys are acting like a bunch of idiots!" Amy yelled. Nothing would stop the two angry animals from clawing at each other though. The fight wore on and everyone hopelessly stood by the sidelines. Both fighters were neck and neck when,

"Hey, hey, can't you guys just let up?" Rouge asked while laughing.

"I've seen enough! It's making my sides hurt!" Everything stopped abruptly, almost as if time had frozen still, both boys turned. Their eyes averted themselves from their current situation. Her laugh tinkled happily and she fell back onto the grass clutching her stomach. Everyone raised an eyebrow until Sonic asked carefully,

"Um…if you don't mind me asking…why are you laughing?" Everyone thought she was losing her mind. She was probably having a weird episode or something. Sonic thought to himself. Rouge got up slowly giggling still and wiped an eye.

"You two boys are just too much! It's so funny watching you two beat each other up senselessly, for goodness sake's you guys are friends!" Rouge smiled at the boys but, then her face grew serious and she spoke again,

"Now tell me, what was all this fighting for?" She waited while the boys both looked sheepishly at each other. Knuckles nudged Shadow as a signal for him to tell her. Shadow shoved back, they were beginning to fight again when, Rouge coughed loudly. They remembered instantly and Knuckles shuffled his feet anxiously. The echidna looked very unsure and it was obvious it was something stupid, while Shadow's face was emotionless and neutral, well-hidden once again.

"Well?" Rouge asked again impatiently. She was the kind of girl that wanted things there, then and now. Both boys glanced at each other until, finally, Knuckles gave in.

"Um…he called me a bad…person." The echidna paused and glanced away. Rouge wasn't buying the confession, they missed out on a huge chunk of information and she could sense it. Shadow finished up after Knuckles,

"He yelled at me for not…for not…" his voice trailed off thinking of how to word it nicely. It was hard; he was working with a stupid echidna,

"For not trying to make you feel better about last night." Knuckles ended. The indifferent hedgehog would've winced. Shadow was a little upset in the inside because of how Knuckles put it. He could be so rash and that was such a straight forward answer. It was probably going to get her angry. Rouge's eyes opened up more. She pouted and tossed her head to the side. Shadow smirked, his hunch was right.

"You boys are so incompetent; you treat me like a toy!" Rouge stiffly replied and then stuck her nose in the air. She sniffed and walked away her heels clicking. The boys both watched her leave, glanced at each other and turned away.

"You started it." Shadow stated in a matter-of-factly tone.

"Try me…" Knuckles growled. He began to start but, Sonic and Tails hit them both on the head comically. They shut up. Rouge was angry at them both now so there was nothing to say or do. Knuckles ran up behind the bat and in the distance talked quickly with her. Shadow saw her nod reluctantly and he jumped up in the air joyfully and danced down the street back. His mood was recovered quickly. It was interesting and Shadow was curious,

"What did she say?" Shadow asked in a bored tone.

"She said she would find time to go to the movies with me!"

"Already?" Shadow was a little cautious that she would give in that quickly.

"Yes, **already**. She promised she'd go with me today and I just wanted to confirm." He grinned widely and replied,

"Too bad you didn't say anything. Of course, I'm her boyfriend and she loves going with me!" the echidna gloated, flashing his teeth again.

"It'll be a good time to make up, huh?" Knuckles questioned again, his pride spilling over. Shadow's eyes burned fiercely, but he merely answered,

"People like you are too headstrong and confident…I'd be careful."

"Psh, I don't need to worry, I've got her in the palm of my hand!" Shadow was determined the make Knuckles keep his eye out. The echidna would have to watch out. Shadow snapped away his head and stamped away, Knuckles smiled confidently at the rest of them but, Amy slammed her Piko-Piko hammer hard on his dense skull. He clutched his head and winced. Shadow was far away from the scene so, unfortunately, he didn't get to enjoy the echidna's pain. He was furious; he was better than that dumb echidna. He started bashing a tree senselessly,

"Why does everything I do turn out wrong!?!?!" He yelled into nowhere. It's not that he cared for Rouge, she was a friend and he was going to keep it that way. It was just the fact that the echidna had the guts to rub it all in his face. It was like sticking another cold knife into his quiet heart. Closing his eyes angrily, he thought about what to do. The only thing hopeful in the day was that she forgot that they had said that they'd both hated each other last night. It still hurt, but at least Rouge was a little less irritable. Shadow didn't know whether she really hated him or if he really did hate her…

Knuckles impatiently tapped a foot. The line was incredibly long just for tickets. Rouge shifted her weight uneasily from one foot to the other again, and checked the time on the clock. The bat was agitated so Knuckles was careful about what to say.

"So, what movie?" he asked.

"Anything adventuresome." She drawled in a bored tone. He glanced over at her as he bought the tickets. Something was bothering her. They went into the theatre and sat down contently. The echidna remembered something useful…it was something about being a polite gentleman with manners. Immediately, he went to go get some snacks, it was a good thing to do. It would get the bat more relaxed and they could make up. He told Rouge what he was off to do and to wait. After the movie had gotten well into itself, Rouge began to wonder what he was doing.

"Where's that darn echidna?" she questioned herself aloud quietly as she diverted her eyes from the big screen. The snow-white bat hadn't seen him since he went off to go get their snacks.

"That snack line can't be longer than the ticket line." She mumbled to herself. Pushing through crowds of folks headed for numerous theatres, she saw the red echidna. Her face fell and her eyes fired up, almost like at the club, at the sight. Knuckles had those snacks; he was just taking a little side-trip. She acidly told herself. She saw him hop into a red convertible with a couple of girls. She squinted and was able to recognize the figures. Those same vicious girls that had mocked and terrorized her at her own club. She felt as if her heart was ripping in two right in front of her. The girls were tickling the echidna and toying with him as the car started up. Tears came pouring out and she felt such pain. The echidna looked drunk and having an enjoyable time. That same golden cat was winning his heart…how shallow, she thought bitterly to herself.

"I guess I shouldn't bother him." Rouge's voice quivered at the sight. How could he be so ignorant? She thought things like those as she soared away from the theatre, her troubles and misery into the dark night. Her dark wings blended into the sky and she had a seemingly white aura around her as the moon shone brightly. She cried alone up in the cold night air. When she had flown far enough she descended down to the hard ground. Sniffling she wrapped her light coat tightly around her and shivered. It was cold and windy. She glanced around the area and confirmed it as the park. Slowly walking in a direction she chose; she reached a bench. Sitting on it lightly the scene played through her mind, over and over again. She sobbed again quietly. Who to go to? What to do now? All of a sudden, she stopped. Feeling sad and crying over the mere matter wouldn't solve anything. She didn't need the echidna anyways, what good was he? She started feeling angry now. Who needed him? Why bother? Stalking toward a good-sized tree, she began to ram into it, ripping it to shreds and kicking it senselessly as if it were the echidna itself. Throwing herself unto the ground in front of it she stifled a sob once more. Feeling something pleasantly warm on her cold shoulder, she whirled around into Shadow…Shadow the hedgehog.

AN: Well, I suppose all I can say is that I DO NOT OWN SONIC THE HEDGEHOG OR ANY AFFILIATED CHARACTERS. Only the made up ones used to move the story along are mine. But they suck anyways, so I think you all could tell. :) lol.


	3. Comfort, Confusion, and Frustration

Shadow was surprised. He had started hearing sobbing and crying a little ways off. He was perfectly relaxed by the brook but, something told him to get his lazy ass up. At first, he thought it was a little kid. But, then he heard high pitched screams that could only belong to an older girl. Determined to investigate it, he got up from his relaxed position next to the brook and dashed off toward the noises. Stopping momentarily, he saw a familiar figure. The dark one hated any kind of pure sadness; the same was for Rouge's unstoppable crying earlier this week. He leaned against the trunk of the tree atop a thick branch. He wasn't as taken by surprise when he saw it was the bat again. Make-up streaming down her face, she angrily wiped it off. She shivered slightly and stopped crying. Amused at what was playing right in front of him, Shadow decided to hang around for a little while longer before revealing himself. He saw the anger and rage that wracked her body and how hurt she was. Mood swings. He thought to himself. She was probably having woman problems or something. He was curious either way to know why she was like this; he hopped down from the high branch and landed soundlessly next to the poor bat. He put a careful hand unto her shoulder and the sobs ceased. She whirled around and came face to face with him. He smirked as she fell and moved away a little she quietly asked,

"How long were you here, Shadow?" while wiping her face of her tears and flowing make up. Helping her up; he answered,

"Long enough to know something's bothering you." Motioning toward the destroyed tree she colored and looked away. They both sat on the freezing bench and she fidgeted. Shadow waited patiently for a response.

"Weren't you supposed to be at the cinema with that echidna?" he inquired suspiciously. He noticed that he'd made the wrong move when her face fell and her glassy eyes teared up again. He listened to her story. She spoke quietly but gained tone as she went on. Soon, she was speaking normally and all traces of the past incident were wiped clean off her face.

"So…that's it?" Shadow asked. He smirked inwardly; again, his hunch was correct. Woman problems with the echidna. Rouge nodded and slumped slightly,

"Now, what am I supposed to do?" She questioned out loud. Shadow thought deeply about the question.

"Well, I don't know. I don't control your thoughts or what you'd want to do…but…" The bat's face became stony but, she waited for Shadow to go on.

"Don't you want to talk it out with someone else other than me? Never forget, I'm still Shadow." The hedgehog's face was serious, but Rouge's face softened, and she smiled for the first time that night even though his voice was covered with sarcasm.

"You think I should talk to…?" she paused. Shadow nodded and lay back on the bench.

"Unless you want to beat him up before that, you should talk to him." He glanced at her and shrugged, showing that he was losing interest in the topic. The hedgehog didn't think he gave such great advice, but at least the tears stopped. She was recomposed and that was comforting. His conscience struck at that moment. It kept nagging him, telling him to reach out toward the bat. Shadow's mind was set in reality though; just talking to her mildly was enough for him.

"Are you okay now?" he managed to ask, his mind was still a little jumbled up. He had enough reflexes to remember what had happened before, and he blocked his head in case of a hit as he waited for a response. She giggled and replied,

"Yes, I am." She paused for a moment and then spoke again,

"Oh and…um, what do you if you yelled at someone earlier but meant nothing that you said?" she shyly fidgeted and Shadow raised an eyebrow and smirked,

"I'd say I'm sorry and apologize."

"Oh, thanks. I'm…"

"Yea, I understand, it's fine. We're just both impatient and irritable people." Shadow cut her off but, Rouge smiled anyways.

"Do I look okay?" she questioned teasingly while pushing some snow-white fur out of her face. Shadow shook his head and sighed,

"Make up or not, it's fine." He replied lazily. There was an awkward silence and then Rouge spoke up again,

"So, I guess I got to go home and sort things out in my mind." Shadow nodded as she got up to leave. She stopped abruptly and turned around to face the dark one.

"Thank you, Shadow." She quietly whispered and she hugged him…

Everything was happening so quickly, like a domino effect one right after the other. It was really too quick for the solemn hedgehog. Their consciences were definitely conspiring something. Shadow growled inwardly at his body. It was frozen still and wouldn't move. The white bat saw the dark hedgehog's eyes light up when she made contact and stay that way, he was in definite shock. She felt his warm fur against her and calmness pervaded her soul. Rouge felt the strange urge to nuzzle into him…he had fur, it was warm. The bat thankfully resisted. That would've made Shadow very irritable and it wouldn't be the best situation to be in for both people. They stood there for a good ten seconds before Shadow coughed, signaling to let go. It was nice that she was trying to repay him but, he really didn't need all the attention. He could tell, Rouge would've stayed there hugging him and he would get anxious. She noticed and they finally came back to Earth again. Laughing nervously she stepped back, giving her room to spread her wings, and ascended into the air leaving behind another friend. Feeling those crimson eyes staring at her, confused, she soared higher and farther away from that park until she was out of his distance.

Shadow's emotions were out of control. He felt this strange longing now. Clutching his head he sat down on the same bench. The hedgehog never remembered feelings like this; only around Maria did he once feel them. They were all warm and fuzzy. He made a face. These feelings were so different and foreign. He had no idea how to take care of people. He was always indifferent and cold to everyone. How was he to change? That was very uncalled for, he confirmed it with himself. It just caught him by surprise and he was still in shock…that was all. His conscience pestered him again. It kept insisting that this was one of the first signs of…affection. Shadow glared at himself in the brook that ran through the park and splashed his reflection, splashing the water. The dark hedgehog wasn't easily convinced though. He would resist, for as long as time demanded. His feet ran him away from the park; he would feel better when he wasn't at the "scene of the crime". It took only a couple of minutes to reach his box again. It was drizzling when he reached the grey alleyway. Color was drained from everything except Shadow himself. Crawling into the soaked shelter, he rethought about Sonic's previous request. He grunted to himself. No, he retorted himself. The raindrops kept the hedgehog awake and he thought more and more about how the meeting went. It was…uncomfortable. His conscience questioned Shadow again about his feelings. Disgusted, he managed to drift into a light sleep. The rest was only temporary though. Immediately, he heard shuffling and someone…no, three people walking around his area. Sighing, he muttered,

"Guess it's just not my day." Leaping out of his box, he caught a glimpse of the mysterious figures. They came closer and Shadow recognized them as just another group…trespassing. It was a relief. At first, he thought it was the bat again. Mentally, he slapped himself in the face.

"Hey, look, it's a hedgehog." A member whispered. A tall, grey squirrel turned around along with two other members flanking him. His fur was slightly mussed up and he looked irritable.

"What are you doing?" Shadow simply questioned.

"What's it look like? We're gonna label this territory as our own." The squirrel gave a look that almost said, "Dumbass." A short, brown bird glanced at Shadow uneasily, as Shadow raised an eyebrow,

"Boss, I think he owns this part." Shadow smirked and nodded. The squirrel shrugged and replied,

"So? He probably has some other good things around here." He shoved past Shadow and immediately, he'd made a wrong move. The shadowy hedgehog charged into the passing by group and slammed them into the brick wall on the side. The other silent member, a lime fox, glared at Shadow as well as his "boss". Shadow raised and eyebrow. The fox stalked over but, the squirrel stopped him.

"Let's go get 'em boys." The squirrel wasn't about to let the fox take control yet. Unfortunately for them, they didn't know who they were dealing with. The hedgehog smiled and beat them quickly. He slipped behind the bird and hit him hard on the head, shaking him up for a moment. Swiftly, he crushed his poor wing and the bird's scream penetrated the stillness of the night. Shadow finished up by knocking him to his knees and the bird clutched his wing in obvious pain.

"Shut up. There's going to be more attention if you don't." Shadow threateningly whispered. He kicked the squirrel into the other brick wall and slammed his face once more. The big "boss" fell into a heap and crumpled up, moaning something about his face. The fox was next in Shadow's mind. Surprisingly, he put up a good fight. The lime competitor wasn't as speedy as Shadow, but he got a couple of light attacks on him. That didn't faze the hedgehog for a split-second though. It was useless. Shadow tripped him and he fell face first into his other friends. The quick hedgehog smashed a foot into his back and the fox bit his lip in pain to prevent himself from crying out like his other friend. Shadow smirked and the fox grimaced as he dug his hard shoe deeper into his back. When the hedgehog finally stopped toying around with the worthless, low-life stealers, he tossed them over a tall white fence and into another alleyway. They weren't killed and they should've been thankful, Shadow thought to himself. He could've ended their poor lives right then and there. That made him think of his own life though. It was just as worthless. Frowning at the thoughts, he mentally hit his head. What a weird thought. He was the ultimate life-form, better than anyone. Inwardly, he made a note to always put that in his mind. He shook his head and slunk back into his drenched box and slept lightly.

AN: I DO NOT OWN SONIC THE HEDGEHOG OR AFFILIATED CHARACTERS. Need I say more? ...thought not.


	4. Tests of Teamwork

The white bat woke up the next morning relaxed. She felt much better. Stretching out her arms and wings, she got dressed and prepared for another day. Stepping out of her home she squinted off into the distance at a far away figure coming toward her and her home. Recognizing it as the echidna she almost ran back inside, but, remembering her talk with the mysterious hedgehog last night, she confidently approached the oblivious target.

"Hey, Rouge, why did you…?" Knuckles began. She slapped the stupid boy. Knuckles reeled back in surprise at the response.

"What do you think?!?" she screamed angrily. Knuckles' eyes were bulging, he didn't remember anything.

"About what?" Rouge was really furious now.

"When you deserted me…when you left to go to those girls." She quietly remarked; her anger was still apparent.

"What girls?" he scratched his head. His face was masked with a confused expression. Rouge figured he had forgotten because he was drunk at the time.

"Those same girls that…that…" Knuckles was still clueless.

"THE SAME ONES THAT TERRORIZED ME AT MY CLUB!!!!!" she yelled. The echidna realized his fault but, Rouge didn't let up. She punched him angrily. Knuckles didn't want to fight with her. He desperately tried to apologize.

"Please, Rouge, don't! You know that I…"

"That you love me?!?!" she spat out angrily. The echidna got up and tried to hug her but, she pushed him away.

"No, get away from me you stupid echidna." That hurt…Knuckles grabbed her arm.

"No, Rouge, come with me." The echidna's eyes were pleading her. Rouge's eyes narrowed and she yanked away.

"I don't want to!" she screamed out, threatening to get him in trouble.

"I'm sorry!" he yelled at her, agitated.

"Well, "sorry" doesn't cut it for me." Rouge whispered.

"Then what do you want from me?!!?!" Knuckles couldn't keep his anger under control.

"I want you to leave me alone!" she screeched. The echidna caught her arm again and tried to convince her to stay,

"Please, I need you and you need me!"

"I don't need you anymore…I have someone else." She retorted Knuckles. Rouge didn't even know what she was saying. She didn't have anyone else, the only the thing the bat wanted was for him to get out of her life. She was through with his dumb behavior. That left a very angry and confused echidna on the ground trying to grab her as she flew off, up and away from him again.

The dark hedgehog had an agreeable morning. He had gone to Sonic's house to eat something quick for his morning meal. Truthfully, he couldn't stand anymore fast-food; it was cheap, but this was cheaper and surprisingly better.

"What, now do you cook?" he inquired smirking all the while. Sonic's face was agitated but, his classes with anger were helping,

"Yes and no. I didn't cook today, but I do." Shadow nodded and lay back comfortably in the soft chair. He inwardly respected his decision. He kind of wished he could cook; almost laughing at the thought he got up and cleared his dishes, tossing them into the sink. Sonic waved "good-bye" and the hedgehog was off again. Not knowing where to go, he traveled around the small city. There was a museum and he slowed down when he neared it. Maybe there was something interesting within the structure. Glancing around, he stepped in. Shadow wasn't easily amazed ever but, this museum was definitely wonderful. The artwork that was hung up was dazzling and the exhibits were breath-taking. His face kept indifferent but, inside he awed at everything. Going from exhibit to exhibit he gazed at many things. The last exhibit wasn't as eye-catching. It was about space. There was a particular section that made his blood boil. It talked about the ARK. A curator was speaking to some tourists,

"The ARK was an ingenious creation made by Gerald Robotnik." Shadow sat down to listen to the curator speak.

"He had taken aboard his daughter, Maria Robotnik because of her rare illness; she was not to be exposed to anyone else in her fragile state." Shadow knew that.

"On that ARK, they spent many days. Gerald Robotnik made many discoveries up in that starry wasteland. One day, he struck "gold"." Shadow leaned forward to listen.

"It was to be another life-form, an ultimate life-form." She began and immediately Shadow knew what was coming, he tried to leave but animals blocked his way, so he growled lowly at them.

"He made it in the form of a dark hedgehog, having supernatural powers, he was truly fierce." Shadow still wasn't pleased. A couple glanced over at Shadow and whispered.

"The hedgehog befriended the young girl and they had many memorable times. But, one day, GUN came upon the haven and began destroying it. They were ordered to capture everyone. Now, I'm sure everyone knows; Gerald Robotnik was mad…he was to be captured so he could do no evil." Shadow was surprised. That wasn't how he was. No matter how many times anyone said that…he would never believe. It hurt. Sonic had said that multiple times, Eggman was the cousin of Maria and that Gerald was like him. But, he wasn't…

"The hedgehog was experimental, so under all the pressure he was unsure." Shadow scowled at that comment.

"In all the frenzy, he went on a rampage, killing everyone on the ship. He killed Gerald, some GUN members and yes, Maria." Shadow was now outraged.

"You wanna listen to the true story, lady?" He growled at the curator. All the tourists that had circled the furious hedgehog began to inch away,

"Those GUN members came on to kill; I took Maria into an escape pod chamber. She pushed me in and saved me instead of herself. A GUN member shot her when she did. I was saved; the Ark was no more…where's the rest of that?!?! You lie to these people? What kind of museum is this?" All the tourists were wide-eyed as Shadow smashed the replica of the ARK. The curator was absolutely speechless and her face became drained of color.

"I was completely sure; I knew what I was doing. I'm not just an experiment…I'm Shadow." He responded.

"Now, go back to your manager and tell him to fix this exhibit, better yet destroy the rest of it." He muttered under his breath. He turned off and dashed away leaving very surprised animals. The curator called security quickly.

"That hedgehog is that Shadow. He's dangerous, catch him or I'll call higher forces to take care of the job." They nodded and ran off. They tried catching up to the black hedgehog but, he was too fast. Shadow knew that they were the least of his problems; somebody else would probably be on the way. He couldn't help it, why tell people wrong information? He stopped abruptly at the park once again. Those security guards had stopped chasing him. Everyone still thought he was evil; why did he ever think he could try to fit in? He saw giant war planes overhead and their lights were trying to locate him. Everyone was always after him, no matter what he did to try to shake them off. They finally found him just standing there and all lights went on him. They shot at him, but, he was too fast. In a minute a helicopter was taken down and Shadow was dealing with the rest. Everyone fought roughly and fire and smoke filled the air. The ruthless fighters shot every last missile and projectile they had but, none could land a hit on the hedgehog. The fire burned the trees and the park grew into a wasteland. Shadow's anger was unleashed upon everyone as he used his Chaos Control and fought against the intensity of all. Suddenly, he heard flapping and turned around. The bat was there…

Rouge had been flying for hours, resting on rooftops every once and awhile. She thought about Knuckles and his stupid behavior every time. She had to go somewhere relaxing. Deciding to go to the park, she noticed flame and fury bursting out with color.

"Not really relaxing right now, is it?" she questioned herself. Curious to know what was happening she flew down. Smoke came up and she coughed hard. Descending still she saw a figure. It was the dark hedgehog. She hovered behind him and he noticed. Whirling around she saw the look, the surprised look on his face. Yes, she was here, here for him.

"What are you doing here? Get out! Don't get hurt!" she shook her head.

"No, Shadow, I can't leave when there's the possibility of you getting hurt…" She faintly said. He looked at her confused and turned toward the furious airplanes again.

"No, go home." Rouge stubbornly stayed, Shadow rolled his eyes at her behavior and sighed,

"Fine, aim for the giant airplanes and helicopters in the sky trying to destroy everything." She nodded.

"Well, that a no brainer." She mumbled below her breath. Shadow heard and she saw him smirk. A bomb shell just exploded and they were brought back down to reality. Fighting side by side they took down many. Everyone surrounded them. Shooting everything they heard a mongoose general yell,

"Don't let up, kill them!" Rouge smiled sweetly.

"Bring it on!" she screamed back. Shadow smirked again at her energy. Shadow turned into a ball and charged up. Rouge used her wings like a ramp and Shadow rolled up them and into the last big target. The bat had an idea,

"Hey, Shadow! Let's try getting on to disable it! It is the last one!" Shadow shrugged and let her lift him up.

"Ooh, gosh, are you heavy!" she laughed again, her voice tinkled. Shadow let that comment be. They hopped on the ship and clashed against members of the aircraft until they all fell before them into their own pools of blood. Shadow ran down the long hallway and sharply turned at the corner, the bat followed quickly on her wings. The two animals ran straight into another wave of military soldiers. The hedgehog dashed through the animal "barriers" and they were shot to the side, blood spewing everywhere. Rouge made a face and carefully stepped around the bodies,

"We don't have time for that!" Shadow impatiently yelled, as he grabbed her arm and led her right through the corpses. They yanked open several doors down the hall, searching frantically for the main chamber, the "cockpit". Shadow burst through a giant metal door at the end of the hallway and there was the mongoose general. The general whirled around, angry. It his fury he blindly whizzed head-on to Shadow. The bat made it just in time to see Shadow fling the stupid general out the window with an easy flick of his wrist. The hedgehog began ripping up the controls and Rouge kicked huge, beeping machines. They felt the ship shake and rumble.

"It's gonna explode." Rouge remarked quickly. The dark hedgehog let Rouge fly them away her fastest out the smashed window. They just missed the explosion as it blew furies of fire and pieces of metal. They glanced at each other and laughed at a job well done. Well, Shadow didn't really laugh, he kind of smirked and then grunted.

"Let's go down to Sonic's place, it'll be safer." He suggested. They went down to Sonic's place. Everyone was there.

"Now, what'd you have to go do that for?!?!" Sonic yelled in Shadow's ear.

"Maybe not as safe…" he growled under his breath while rubbing his ear.

"We're all targets now!" Tails wailed as he thought about any ways out of this situation. Cream and Cheese cried. Rouge felt sympathy and hugged the poor, young kids.

"I was about to make Sonic fall in love with me too!" Amy pouted.

"Amy, that's the least of our troubles and…I don't think those will ever work on Sonic." Tails remarked nervously.

"YES THEY WILL!" Amy screamed.

"Well, I guess we're gonna have to go and talk to the military generals…people…things." Sonic growled. He ran off with everyone, leaving Shadow and Rouge inside. Knuckles had been quiet; he didn't want to confront the bat yet, Shadow could tell. Rouge was completely oblivious…which was good, he supposed.

"That was fun." Rouge smiled again even though she was clearly at a loss of words. Shadow nodded.

Shadow began thinking again, what was wrong with Knuckles? He'd wait for a response later, but he had a good feeling it was something about his "girlfriend" again. He gave a small smirk to himself. When Rouge noticed a lack of response she snapped her fingers in front of the oblivious hedgehog's face. He realized that he was quiet the whole time and apologized.

"Um…sorry." He replied, at a loss of words. He scowled inwardly, but Rouge laughed. They would just have to wait until Sonic and everyone came back with the news.

"So, why were they chasing you?" The witty bat questioned. Shadow turned away, but told her,

"I bashed some, uh, cars." Whenever he tried to lie around her he messed up. Maybe it was what women were good at.

"Stop lying Shadow, it's really pitiful." She responded

"It's not a big deal…" he began.

"No, it's a big deal. Those people were trying to kill you for some big reason!" Rouge responded.

"I said it was no big, damn deal!" he snapped a little too sharply, he was a very impatient hedgehog. Rouge's head dropped and she stuttered,

"O-okay." Shadow felt bad now. Damn girls, he cursed inwardly. He made an attempt to make her feel better and apologize,

"Um…I'm sorry…again." He confessed, he didn't mean to sound so sharp. It had just rolled off his tongue sounding like that.

"That's okay Shadow. I was just a bit too curious. Thanks for apologizing anyways." Shadow nodded but, inside he thought, a bit too curious? More like sticking her nose into things where it didn't belong. He was surprised that the bat didn't whack him on the head or anything this time. What gave? He thought.

"Do you really want to know?" he asked, defeated. The bat's eyes lit up and she nodded. It was comical. Shadow smirked and replied,

"I went to the dumb museum…"

"Wait, you went to the **museum**?" she questioned. Shadow scowled, he hated to be interrupted.

"Let me finish." He calmly requested, the bat nodded embarrassed.

"Well, the curator lied about the…this exhibit. Um, the ARK exhibit." Rouge nodded again.

"And I got angry and yelled at her. She just overreacted." The bat giggled at Shadow. The hedgehog felt uncomfortable having her laugh at him, but let it slide. He realized that he was letting a lot of things slide…

"That's it?" she inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes." Shadow responded.

"Oh, I didn't know. Did she lie about…?" Rouge stopped, not wanting to upset the shifty hedgehog. Shadow shook his head up and down.

"Are you okay?" the bat questioned. Usually, she never cared but this was serious.

"Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry." She relaxed now, and snoozed lightly in a chair. That was weird. Shadow thought. His conscience came up again, and Shadow hit himself in the head. Slowly, he regained control of his anger and calmed down. Waiting patiently, now, for Sonic and everyone he got up to drink a cold glass of water. He filled it up slowly and drank, thinking about what the military generals would say. Sonic burst in with everyone. He was breathing heavily,

"He said Shadow has to go to a damn trial." Sonic growled angrily. Rouge woke up and smacked Sonic,

"Can't you see I'm trying to sleep!?!?" Tails whispered the situation and Rouge's eyes grew big.

"It was because the curator said that Shadow vandalized a piece of museum material." Tails finished, sighing. Everyone began talking again. Rouge inhaled deeply, rubbing her temples.

"So, what? Shadow just has to testify what happened in front of some animal in a black bathrobe?" The bat tiredly questioned. Amy nodded and flopped down onto another chair.

"And if they find his doing **really** bad…" the pink hedgehog began,

"They make him pay." Knuckles spoke for the first real time. His voice was touched with a bit of triumph and Shadow could hear it. What was his problem? The tired hedgehog rolled his eyes,

"I'll just say the damn truth then."

"It's not that easy." Sonic replied,

"Do you have a lawyer, insurance, anything?" Shadow shook his head,

"I live in a cardboard box, what do you expect?" They all sighed in unison.

"I'll call up a lawyer." Tails volunteered as he ran off to the phone,

"Well, who's going to pay?" Sonic inquired.

"I will…" a voice quietly replied. Everyone turned to see who was going to help Shadow, it was the white bat.

"Why?" Knuckles asked breathlessly.

"Because, he's already been through a heck of a lot more than anyone else. He was my partner before…remember?" she responded. Rouge shot him a look right after as if to warn him to not do any funny stuff. The yellow kitsune ran back into the room,

"It's all set up, tomorrow at high noon."

"What the hell is that?" Sonic questioned dumbly,

"12:00, noon, lunchtime." Tails sighed at Sonic.

"Oh…right…" he sheepishly grinned.

After a couple of minutes, Sonic had everyone leave his home, it was just getting too dark and if it got too dark, people wouldn't be able to go home.

"See you all at high noon." he called out to the departing guests. Amy, Cream and Cheese started off in a direction, gabbing about new recipes and Amy's confused life. Knuckles and Tails went off in the opposite direction; they were busy chattering about how to fix the X-Tornado to some new extent. Shadow noticed Knuckles glance back over his shoulder at him every few seconds. One time, he actually shot him a look, it was surprising. Shadow raised an eyebrow, but trudged on. He and Rouge were walking down her street; his alleyway was a few houses away from her home. Shadow was a couple of paces ahead of the bat. Rouge stumbled in the middle of the sidewalk; she'd tripped over her own two clumsy feet. The bat growled at her klutzy feet and stood up. She dusted herself off and heard an eerie voice speak,

"Hey, boss, check her out." She whirled around and caught a glimpse of a tubby bird. He was referring to a silver squirrel as boss and the drunken squirrel nodded,

"Let's have some fun!" his voice chimed and a neon green fox's straight face cracked into a smile at his boss's words. Rouge scoffed, she wasn't about to let some weird men on the side of the road take **her** down. She did a screw kick and came crashing down, just missing them as they dodged. The bird screeched to a stop and swiftly bent her wings out of shape. Rouge winced but, kept her mouth shut. These drunkards were going to be harder than she expected. She tried flying but, she slammed into the pavement. Her left arm went limp and she clutched it. The squirrel stalked up to Rouge, but she kicked him in his "manly" part. He reeled back and fell back, his big frame hitting the sidewalk. The fox took the squirrel's revenge by slamming into her from behind, flinging her into the bird who hit her to the ground.

"You wanna try that again?" the squirrel growled. The bird held her arms behind her back and the fox tied them up. The squirrel looked pleased at his comrades' work. His face moved dreadfully close to hers,

"Now, let's go home and have some fun…" he breathed into her face. She gagged, disgusting breath, she thought. They began to gag her when she immediately, as a weird reflex, called out,

"SHADOW!!!" the hedgehog that was at least twenty yards ahead spun around and saw Rouge in distress. He saw that same group that had hopelessly tried to kick him out of his alleyway before. Shadow grimaced, but whizzed over to the scene.

"People like you guys never seem to learn, huh? The hedgehog questioned. The squirrel snorted,

"Yeah, right, let's get him boys." the members that flanked the squirrel nodded and threw Rouge behind them. She cried out in pain and blacked out. Shadow's rage climbed another couple of degrees as he charged toward the group. Quickly, he jumped up as the squirrel tried to barrel him down and Shadow plummeted the bird into the pavement. The fox took the moment to try to push Shadow down but, he hit his own teammate. The hedgehog leaped backwards into the squirrel that cut open a deep wound in Shadow's right arm. He winced as the blade slashed itself along his fur. Still, he wasted no time in kicking the squirrel into a metal pole; knocking him out cold. The bird and fox both charged head first toward Shadow, but he dodged. He threw an electrifying chaos spear into the two and they reeled back before flopping to the ground, exhausted and worn out. The hedgehog grimaced as he nudged the group with his shoe. Quickly, he ripped off a piece of the squirrel's shirt and wrapped it around his arm wound as a makeshift bandage. Slowly, he approached Rouge's still figure and picked her up. He scanned the area for her home and spotted it a little ways off. The hedgehog rushed quickly toward the small home and he kicked open the door. He glanced around the supposed living room, and set Rouge down on a soft couch. She winced and her eyes snapped open at the shock of pain. Immediately, she attempted to sit up but, her wings were twisted and they sent another round of pain. The bat glanced around. She was at home.

"Well, you're not dead." A voice whispered lowly. Rouge turned her head to face the voice's owner, Shadow.

"Ugh, what happened? My head's giving me a throbbing headache." She replied. The hedgehog raised an eyebrow,

"Those damn gang members got you hurt pretty badly." Rouge glanced at a mirror; her face was plastered with bits of dirt and blood. She gasped and nearly passed out from just the sight.

"My face…" she murmured as she moved her hand across her face.

"That's not all…" Shadow replied calmly,

"Your left arm is broken, your wings are twisted out of place and you whole body is bruised up." He cracked a smirk and Rouge rolled her eyes,

"Wonderful…" she remarked sarcastically. The bat finally noticed Shadow's right arm. It was still gushing blood and the ragged piece of cloth that was used as a bandage began to not serve such a good purpose anymore.

"Your arm!" she gasped. The hedgehog glanced up and suddenly remembered,

"Oh, yeah. That's nothing, nothing compared to your injuries."

"But, you did that for me?" the bat whispered. Shadow shrugged,

"I guess so, you're the one that called out my name." she colored.

"Wash out the wound." She requested. The hedgehog sighed and got up,

"Fine." He stepped into her small kitchen. It was cozy and clean. Shadow flicked on some water from the sink and he soaked the bandage in water; it would be easier to take off if it was drenched in water. Slowly, he peeled of the cloth. Every time he flinched slightly as he took off the bandage bit by bit. Eventually, he finished and cleaned the wound thoroughly. Shadow fished around a medicine cabinet above the sink and found a crisp, new bandage. The hedgehog stuck the bandage on and brought the pack to Rouge,

"I'm not the only one who needs this stuff." He tossed the bandages to her and she caught them with her good hand. The bat smiled and slowly tried to get up. Shadow rolled his eyes,

"You can't get up; I just told you that you're seriously injured." Rouge whimpered,

"I need water to wash this stuff away." The tired hedgehog sighed and brought her a giant bowl of water. The bat fidgeted and waited for something. It popped into Shadow's mind,

"Oh, sorry." He went into the kitchen to wait for her to be done. Quietly he closed the door and he inhaled deeply. After a few minutes, she called Shadow back in.

"What?" he inquired.

"Um…I need you to…uh…" she motioned to her ruined clothes.

"You want me to get rid of these things for you?" he raised an eyebrow.

"That…and…um…I need you to get me new clothes." she pulled the blanket that was surrounding her closer. It hit the surprisingly slow hedgehog.

"Oh…where's your room?"

"Upstairs, first room to the left." She responded. Shadow nodded and picked up the bloody jumpsuit Rouge had worn.

"That thing's done, you can destroy it." The bat replied. The hedgehog threw it out in the trash and headed up to her room. It was neat and spotless. She had a giant king sized bed with transparent drapes hanging down the sides. Her room had a purple color scheme. How like Rouge, Shadow thought. To the right side, there was a dresser and a mirror above it a jewelry box was placed neatly on the light purple dresser. To the left of Shadow, he eyed a wardrobe. The hedgehog flung open the doors and there was a line of shiny shoes, gloves and suits. He picked one of each and shut the doors. He quickly came back down and handed her the shoes, gloves and suit.

"Here." She smiled and waited for Shadow to leave the room. The hedgehog nodded and went back into her kitchen. Inwardly, she thought that it was a little weird having him in her room looking around for her clothing. At least her suit had a built in bra. She slowly slid herself into the suit despite the horrible pain and snapped on her gloves using her good hand and her mouth. Rouge left her shoes beside the couch, she'd put them on when it was time to go.

"You can come back in." she called out. Shadow stepped back in. He sat down across from her in a chair.

"How did you put all your clothes on without hurting yourself?" the hedgehog questioned,  
"Well, I had enough brains to withstand the pain. I don't want you in the same room with me when I have nothing on!" she replied "matter-of-factly". Shadow shrugged,

"Yea, I suppose you're right…"

"Suppose?!" Rouge replied in mock surprise. Shadow smirked and lay back.

"You need ice for your wings and arm." He stated.

"No, duh." The bat mumbled. The hedgehog sighed and shook his head,

"Would you please just knock off your attitude for a little while?" he inquired tiredly.

"Sorry…" she replied embarrassed. Shadow strode back into the kitchen again. This time, he returned with packs of ice. Slowly, he put his hands behind Rouge and sat her up. The bat colored, but thankfully, he didn't notice. He set down the ice packs and gave her some for her broken arm. Rouge cracked a smile,

"Thanks…" Shadow inspected her slowly,

"You need a sling for your arm and your wings need to somehow be snapped back into place." Rouge winced at the thought of some doctor attempting to twist her wings back into shape.

"Can you do it for me?" the bat requested. Shadow glanced up a little surprised,

"I'm not any professional doctor…are you sure?"

"Yea, I actually know you and I'd feel safer if you did it…not some weird guy that works in a white coat." That took Shadow by surprise…she actually trusted him? Well, she probably had to have **some** trust if she let him go through her clothes, he rethought that over.

"I could hurt you though." Shadow started off,

"More than I already am? That's fine; I just want to see if it'll work. Just one wing." She insisted

"Alright…it's going to hurt, but I can't do anything about that." He cautiously replied,

"Let me have it…" Rouge cracked another smile and shut her eyes tightly. Shadow breathed in deeply and began; he swiftly moved her wing toward its proper place. The bat inhaled sharply as she felt the wing send out pain signals. The hedgehog pushed harder and it snapped into place. Rouge let out a relieved sigh and flapped that one wing.

"See? All better!" she smiled. Shadow sighed,

"I could've really hurt you though, let's not go on…"

"Aw…come on Shadow!" she pouted comically and her eyes pleaded him.

"I really want my wings to work again; my arm may be the only problem we have then."

"Besides the many cuts and bruises on your body, I guess so…" Shadow trailed off,

"Yea, see! Now do the same thing you did." The hedgehog obeyed her and copied the same movements. This last wing was harder though. After he'd pushed several times it went into place. Rouge exhaled slowly.

"That hurt a lot…"

"See? Now I told **you**." Shadow replied. The bat shook her head,

"I would've been through a lot more pain if you hadn't." Shadow smiled a small smile for her sake and sunk into another chair, exhausted.

"Now, the only problem is my arm and…"

"The rest of your body…" Shadow groaned after Rouge. The bat reached over and patted his hand,

"Don't trouble yourself. Just rest, you've done enough." She determinedly attempted to stand up but fell. Shadow caught her and she glanced up, embarrassed.

"This is why I can't leave yet." Shadow replied tired, but not annoyed. He smirked, and she colored.

"Sorry…" she whispered, as he picked her up and placed her back down on the couch. For a second, he was so close, Rouge would've passed out. It was a strange feeling. She sighed and rubbed her head.

"I guess I'll just sit here." Shadow smirked again. She immediately fell asleep after a few minutes; she was worn out and it was to be expected. The hedgehog felt like nodding off as well, but, he couldn't sleep while the bat was still hurt. He went to go get something to make a sort of sling for her arm. Swiftly, he cut some branches from a nearby tree and glued cloth on top of them. He rolled them a little and took a long strip of a washrag and glued those to both sides of the "sling". The hedgehog was dissatisfied at his work but, he placed it besides the bat anyways. He pulled his chair close to the couch in case of any emergency and finally felt relaxed. The hedgehog gave up his body to sleep and the night dwindled on…

AN: I DO NOT OWN SONIC THE HEDGEHOG OR AFFILIATED CHARACTERS. Nuff said. Oh, and the chapters are long, I know. Bear with me? Lots of things happen in each individual chapter, so although you may be tempted to 'cause I write A LOT...try not to skim. It makes it more confusing as it goes on. :) Anyways, I hope you enjoyed. 3


	5. Over Trials and Dinner

Rouge woke up the next morning early. Her muscles were all sore and her arm felt like it was on fire. She winced as she tried to stretch out her tired body. Shadow was sleeping soundlessly. The bat smiled and laughed inwardly. She spooked the hedgehog by screaming out,

"SHADOW!!!" Shadow's eyes snapped open and he replied groggily,

"Huh, what? Whazzat? What's going on?" Rouge giggles turned into a peal of laughter. She playful shoved him and the hedgehog waved his arms helplessly. He growled lowly at her, but she knew that it was playful.

"How's your body feeling?" The hedgehog questioned seriously. Rouge flapped her wings and shrugged,

"Well, my wings are fine…"

"And the rest?" he inquired suspiciously,

"Um…my arm still hurts, and the rest is still aching." Her eyes flitted to the small "sling" Shadow had created for her once she had fallen asleep,

"Is…is that for me?" the hedgehog glanced up,

"Oh, um, yea. It's for your arm." He picked it up for her and wrapped it around her arm for the bat. She smiled thoughtfully,

"It's great, now I won't have to stay in…"

"Ah, no. You stay in your home. I have to go to that…trial." He inhaled deeply and let out the air slowly. Rouge's face fell,

"But I wanted to watch!" Shadow shifted his eyes up at her and gave her a confused look,

"You want to see me sent to jail or something?" The bat began to stutter,

"Um, no, I…I…" she didn't actually know **why** she wanted to go…maybe it was just for his safety?

"Whatever…" he muttered. The bat instantly remembered her promise,

"Oh, yea, speaking of your trial. I have to give you your money to pay for that lawyer!" she grinned and pointed to a purple, bejeweled purse. Shadow rolled his eyes; **everything** was centered around purple and jewels…he tossed the purse to Rouge and she fished around.

"Here, take some money…take it!" she told him when he hesitated. Did she really trust him with her money? Gingerly, he took the purse and placed it next to him.

"What if he asks why I'm using someone else's…they're going to check." The bat shrugged,

"Then say a friend loaned it to you or something. C'mon, you're Shadow! Figure out something." He sighed and snatched up the purse once again.

"Fine, stay here. Don't leave. You're still recovering."

"Aw, Shadow…" her voice instantly reminded him of Maria. He paused for a moment, but continued out the door. The bat pouted and shook her head,

"Don't mess this up Shadow…"

Shadow arrived promptly at 12:00. Tails sighed in relief,

"Gosh, I thought you weren't coming!" the hedgehog raised an eyebrow,

"I'm always on time, Tails." He replied lowly. Sonic opened up the door,

"Hey, here's the lawyer person!" he moved away from the door to reveal a small, tan mink. She was dressed in a woman's suit, held a large briefcase and wore glasses,

"Well, Shadow. I have the papers of the case, so I believe we're all set." She had a very high-strung voice. The lawyer pushed up her half-moon glasses and inspected Shadow. He made a confused face but followed her out.

"Let's go." He motioned for everyone to follow him as well.

"Wow, awesome! We're going to see Shadow's trial!" Sonic grinned. The other hedgehog sighed,

"You sound so excited to see me possibly have to pay outrageous fines…"

"Sure am!" Sonic playfully nudged Shadow and he shook his head.

"Where's Rouge?" Knuckles threw a glance at Shadow,

"She got hurt yesterday…"

"By who!?!?" he questioned worriedly. Shadow shrugged,

"Some gang members. She's fine though, I put her home and she's resting now." The blue hedgehog raised an eyebrow,

"You went into **her** house?" Shadow gave Sonic a disgusted look and was relieved to hear the cab screech to a stop.

"We're here Shadow. Follow me." They went in, as Shadow's friends quietly followed as well and placed themselves on benches to watch the case. The courtroom was large and every sound echoed throughout. The lawyer pointed stiffly to a small, brown box looking thing. It was where he, the accused, sat. Many people crowded the seats and the room was buzzing with noise. The jury stepped into their seats and sat, waiting patiently for the judge. Suddenly, the room fell quiet, as the guard stood up and cleared his throat,

"The judge has arrived, rise." Everyone stood, including Shadow.

"Be seated." The judge requested when he got to his high place. He was adorned in that "long, black bathrobe". The judge was a simple-looking rabbit.

"We are here today judging a case, accusing Shadow the hedgehog." He glanced toward Shadow and immediately began the trial,

"Prosecutor, begin." The prosecutor rose and he motioned to Shadow,

"Shadow the hedgehog, your honor, destroyed a fine piece of museum work." A wave of noise rippled throughout the room.

"Order!" the rabbit called out while banging his gavel. Shadow strode on up to the little box he had to stand in. The prosecutor kept a straight face. He was a tall, tight-lipped stark.

"Shadow, is it not true that you destroyed a fine replica of the Ark, the museum's, hm?"

"I did sir, but I…"

"Your honor!" the stark spoke up again,

"He is a vandal. He admits it."

"Go on…" the rabbit slowly replied.

"The curator of the museum was greatly disturbed as well as the innocent visitors."

"Did he hurt anyone physically?" the judge asked carefully. Shadow saw the stark hesitate from the corner of his eye,

"No, your honor."

"How much was this replica of the Ark?"

"Approximately 850,000 dollars, your honor."

"And why is this?"

"The museum had a lot of money put in to research up the ARK and such. It was quite difficult." The stark whipped out a couple of receipts that showed how much the museum had to pay for materials, labor hours, and research. The judge leafed through everything thoroughly and slowly. He grunted and handed the papers to the guard,

"Give those to the jury members." He whispered and then focused his attention back.

"So this was a very costly matter."

"Yes, your honor." The stark held his head high and nodded.

"If you are to win this case, what would you expect in return?"

"The museum would like to have Shadow pay the full amount of the replica."

"Is that it?" the judge raised an eyebrow,

"Yes, your honor."

"Be seated." The judge requested. He then turned to Shadow's lawyer.

"Defendant, begin."

"Your honor, Shadow was very disturbed by the display of the museum." She turned to face the jury and the audience that was seated.

"This museum curator seemed to have overreacted." She went on in a clear voice,

"Shadow was merely telling her the truth. I don't mean to be too blunt, but the curator was evidently lying and it hit a spot in the hedgehog."

"Objection!" the prosecutor stood,

"Overruled for the moment. Go on." The judge sharply spoke. The stark sat down reluctantly.

"We all know what happened on the Ark many years ago, hm?"

"Shadow, why don't you explain yourself." The hedgehog glanced up at everyone and sighed,

"When the curator was lying to the tourists and she said all these wrong things about me and what happened on there." The judge nodded,

"GUN came on and began destroying the ARK. Maria was desperate to save so she pushed me into an escape capsule and sent me hurling into space down to Earth."

"When the curator said that **I** killed Maria, I was furious. I didn't kill Maria, a GUN member did. It hit me hard and I'm sorry to have broken your exhibit, I was just angry." He exhaled slowly and glanced at all of the eyes that were fixed on him.

"You said your client spent money on the research as well correct?" the judge spoke up.

"Yes, your honor." The prosecutor nodded.

"Well, this shows that the research was wrong and that the exhibit was a little faulty."

"Yes, but your honor. We cannot just let him…"

"I know, I know. He may have to pay for the other parts, but that will be all."

"You have all made some strong statements, we will deal with the consequences." The judge stood up abruptly and left with the jury. Shadow sunk back into his chair and closed his eyes. He had a strong feeling he was going to have to pay a lot of money. He opened up Rouge's purse and sighed.

"So, what do you think's gonna happen?" Sonic questioned as he bounded toward Shadow.

"I think…I'm going to have to pay a lot of money…" the hedgehog got up and faced the lawyer,

"Should I pay you now?" he inquired. She was busy sorting through papers.

"Later." Was her calm answer. The mink pushed up her glasses again but smiled,

"Nice story." He shrugged and sat down next to Sonic. It was awhile before the jury came back with their decision. Shadow had been nervous and he thought about how Rouge would feel when he came back with…less money.

"The jury has come back with a decision!" the guard called out. An old sheep came out and responded,

"We the jury, have come up with the consequences for Shadow the hedgehog." Shadow rolled back his eyes and waited for their answer,

"He will have to pay the fine of 650,000 dollars, excluding the research money." Shadow rubbed his temples and clenched his teeth.

"The museum will change the exhibit and apologize to Shadow by paying off 100,000 dollars of the fine so, he will only have to pay 550,000 dollars." Sonic glanced over at Shadow.

"Geez, that's a lot of money." Shadow growled and whipped out Rouge's purse,

"What kind of purse is that?" Sonic made a confused face.

"It's Rouge's." Shadow simply replied. He took out her credit card and handed it to the museum curator.

"Is this a friend's?" she questioned carefully.

"Yes." The curator sighed and mumbled something about kids these days. She replied,

"I will give it back to you by tomorrow. We have to go to the bank and withdraw that amount of money." She left with her heels clicking. The lawyer grunted behind him,

"Like she would know." The lawyer stiffened up and turned towards Shadow,

"So, I guess my pay will have to wait."

"I'm sorry." Shadow replied with slight remorse.

"That's fine. It was a short trial anyways. So…is she your girlfriend?" she questioned.

"What?" Shadow was confused.

"The one that gave you the purse, a guy like you probably wouldn't have a purple purse that's got jewels all over it." The hedgehog cursed inwardly, she had noticed.

"No, strictly a friend." The lawyer raised an eyebrow.

"Oh…okay. I'd be careful though, never know when people as nice as her can get taken." Now it was Shadow's turn to return the confused look. He knew what she meant; it was just a little odd. Was it obvious?

"I'll arrive at your house tomorrow then to…"

"No, come to my friend's house at 1 PM, I'll be there." He couldn't have people knowing he lived in a cardboard box…it would be unsightly.

"Oh, fine then." The lawyer gathered up her things and left the now quiet courtroom. Shadow and the rest of his friends left as well.

"TAXI!!!" Sonic called out. Tails stopped Sonic,

"There aren't many taxis around here Sonic…" he laughed nervously.

"Oh…let's walk then." Everyone began to trudge down the sidewalk when Shadow remembered that the bat was still at home alone.

"I have to go." He quickly replied.

"Where?" Knuckles asked curiously. Shadow paid no heed to the red echidna though; he ran off in Rouge's direction and left behind his friends in the dust.

"Geez…" was Sonic's last reply.

The bat was bored when Shadow had left. She twirled a stray piece of hair between her fingers and sighed.

"How long does once stupid trial take?" she questioned herself out loud. Rouge hummed to herself, flipped on the television and taken a ten minute nap altogether already. She'd done some other important tasks as well. Thankfully, she saw Shadow dash down the road and zoom up to the door. He opened it up and shifted his eyes around.

"Finally!" she surprised him by yelling out. He had shook, but recomposed quickly,

"Don't do that…" he muttered as he sat down, exasperated in the same chair. Rouge coughed,

"What?" he annoyingly snapped.

"My purse?" she responded neutrally. His face changed and he instantly remembered.

"Oh, right…" he mumbled and tossed it to her. She checked it and found her credit card missing,

"Shadow, where's my credit card…?" she questioned carefully. He glanced up at her and muttered something too quiet to be heard,

"Shadow?" she moved her head to the side to get a better look at the hedgehog. He was silent and emotionless.

"What happened?" she demanded an answer from the quiet hedgehog.

"Uh…they took your credit card for awhile. You'll get it back by at least two days from now." She flopped back onto the couch and let out a long sigh.

"Now what…?" Shadow glanced at her arm and felt it unexpectedly. Rouge was about to object but, she let him.

"Well, your arm is still…"

"Yea. Broken." She replied tiredly. Her wings were still fine. The bat's body was still in a fragile state so Shadow insisted on her staying for at least two days more,

"Please, Rouge. You could really get hurt." He rubbed his temples in stress when she shook her head and defiantly crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'd be fine. Hey, I've got the ultimate life-form" she nudged him playfully and Shadow lifted his head up and flashed a small smile,

"Well, you kind of need my assistance still."

"Yup, me the clumsy Rouge." She cracked a smile and Shadow smirked back at her. The bat's face grew annoyed again quickly,

"I'm so damn bored though…"

"Well, we could go some where if you're feeling better…" Shadow trailed off to glance at Rouge's expression. Her azure eyes were filled with excitement.

"Oh, really? You changed your mind?" she sat up immediately and glanced up earnestly. Shadow sighed and nodded. She grabbed the hedgehog's arm and hugged him.

"Wonderful!" Shadow colored for a minute and was thankful the bat didn't see his embarrassed expression.

"I'm great, c'mon!" she grabbed his arm and opened up the door. Rouge tumbled down when her legs gave out again. Shadow caught her quickly and she blushed, embarrassed,

"Talk about excitement…" he mumbled while smirking at the bat. She regained her balance with Shadow's help. Rouge shuffled her feet a little and glanced at Shadow. He showed no emotion but, led her down the street silently. After a few moments, Shadow realized he had no idea where he was going,

"So, where to?" he questioned as Rouge slowly progressed her way next to the hedgehog.

"There's this really cool restaurant I always go to…"

"Done then." He replied quickly before catching her again as she fell over her own two feet. She colored again,

"Sorry…" she muttered as she faced Shadow. He shrugged,

"That's fine…all it does is give me a reason to have to stay." She blushed and they continued. It took a good ten minutes to reach the quiet restaurant. It was a brick building with neon lights above it. Rouge eagerly opened up the door and walked in without Shadow's help. He shook his head but, smiled inwardly. She had a lot of motive and determination for everything. That was her personality. A waiter glanced up as the bell tinkled.

"Rouge, nice to see you again!" he gave her a warm smile but, when his eyes dipped over the bat's body he frowned,

"What happened to you? Do you need help?" Rouge was about to respond, and the waiter was about to grab her hand when he noticed Shadow in the doorway giving him a look.

"Um…well, you have him…never mind." He mumbled and gave them a quick apology as he withdrew his hovering hand. Shadow gave a look of triumph this time. Rouge had a confused look set on her face but, when she glanced behind her and saw Shadow so close she gasped slightly,

"Oh right." She laughed nervously when she saw the waiter's aghast face plastered on. Shadow took up her hand and she felt his cold glove.

"Uh…right this way." He quickly showed them their table and ran through the kitchen doors. Shadow then released his hold on Rouge's hand and she glanced up at him confused,

"What was that for?"

"He was giving you a look." She laughed and shook her head.

"You thought he was hitting on me, weren't you?" he twitched inwardly, she read his thoughts exactly. At the lack of response from the quiet hedgehog, she grinned and playfully shoved Shadow. He wobbled a bit.

"Ah, he's just a waiter, Shadow. Don't worry, and don't be too overprotective." She replied slyly and she smiled at him again. He shrugged and shuffled to the table. They both slid in to the booth. Rouge smiled,

"So, still think I can't make it down the street by myself?"

"Yea, kind of." he smirked and leaned back. She frowned and mockingly replied,

"Ugh, I hate you, Shadow!" she splashed him playfully with her water. Shadow growled playfully and lowly whispered,

"I hate you too, Rouge!" he sloshed a little water on her. Their little water fight continued and they felt like little kids. A waitress that had almost suddenly appeared coughed. Their laughter died out and Rouge shifted her weight uneasily. Shadow cleared his throat and glanced down.

"Here are your menus and breadsticks…" The waitress placed a menu in front of Shadow and Rouge. The breadsticks were pushed and she gave them a confused look but, walked off without another word. Shadow and Rouge glanced at each other and snickered quietly. They flipped through their menus in silence. It was an awkward silence after they'd both finished picking and choosing what they wanted to have for the evening. Rouge played with her glove, keeping her eyes down and away from the hedgehog's eyes. They always seemed to hold her gaze. Shadow relaxed a bit and closed his eyes. He peeked at her with one sharp, red eye and saw her feeling uneasy in the silence so he started something. It was one kick…not even a kick, a gentle nudge with his foot. But, by then, they were kicking each other playfully. Shadow was careful not to kick the bat too hard, but Rouge didn't let up one bit. She smiled and kicked him sweetly again before another different waitress came up,

"Your orders?" Shadow shifted his eyes to the older waitress. He replied,

"The smoked fish, teriyaki sauce on it and corn on the side." she scribbled in the order on her notepad and turned toward Rouge,

"And you dear?" she glanced one more time at the menu before responding,

"Uh, the grilled chicken salad please." She gave a warm smile and jotted down the request.

"You've got a good one sweetie." She whispered lowly into Rouge's ear. The waitress winked and left. The bat colored instantly and put her arms around herself almost as if it was getting chilly in the restaurant.

"People just can't leave me alone…" she muttered to herself under her breath. Shadow had heard every word though,

"What does she mean 'good one'?" he inquired innocently. He knew very well what that waitress had meant…and it wasn't the salad she was talking about. Shadow was in for her reaction on it.

"Nothing…nothing…girl thing." She mumbled, waving her good hand.

"You sure?" Shadow leaned in close and gave her a look with his capturing, crimson eyes. She nodded, almost in a daze,

"Uh huh…" he sat back and sighed. His eyes lingered on her before he diverted them to his meal. They ate slowly but, surely and soon enough, they finished their meals.

"This place isn't as bad as I though it'd be." Shadow concluded out loud. He took a white napkin and wiped his mouth gently with it. Rouge nodded and replied softly,

"Yea. That's why I like it here. They have good food and it's peaceful. It gives me time to think." She smiled a small smile and went back to playing with her other glove. Shadow didn't like having too much thinking time…he always over-thought insignificant details of everything. Rouge was right about the service and food though. It was pleasurable.

"So, find any good jewels lately?" Shadow asked, breaking the silence again with his voice. She shrugged,

"Nah, not really. I've got nothing so far." The bat sighed and shook her head,

"What kind of a treasure hunter am I turning out to be…?" she twirled her fork in her hand and set it down after awhile.

"You've always been after the precious things though…" Shadow replied aloof. Rouge rolled her eyes. He was trying to do something considerate…it was the thought that counted.

"Yea…sure." She mumbled. There was another awkward silence. Shadow couldn't stand it.

"So, what jewels do you like?" he questioned.

"I really like sapphires actually."

"They look like your eyes." Shadow replied. Rouge blushed slightly and shoved him,

"Oh, stop it…" he smirked and drank some more of his water. The same waitress that had given them their food silently picked up their unneeded plates and left without a word as to not disrupt their conversation. They said a couple more words back and forth until the waitress arrived again,

"Dessert?" she questioned. Shadow glanced at Rouge who obviously didn't want anything…she was always too self-conscious.

"Nothing for me…" Rouge replied softly, glancing out the window. Shadow raised an eyebrow but politely refused dessert as well. The waitress put down the bill and then left. The hedgehog realized a problem; both of them had no money to pay the restaurant. The bat was oblivious and kept staring out the window peacefully. Shadow excused himself to go to the bathroom and hurried outside instead. He saw an old lizard on the sidewalk. Normally, he wouldn't do this but, it was time for some drastic measures. Shadow stalked up to the lizard and whispered in a low deadly voice,

"How much money do you have old man?" The hedgehog's eyes burned holes into the poor old man. The lizard looked up, frightened and snapped open his wallet.

"H-here, t-take all I have!" he wailed and ran off. Shadow glanced inside the wallet. It was enough money to pay for the food and some tip…that was nice. He felt a twang of guilt as he saw the old lizard hobble further and further away. Clenching the wallet, he slipped back into his seat. The bat didn't ask any questions and Shadow was relieved. He slapped the money on the table and met Rouge's confused eyes,

"But how did you…?" Shadow knew she would be furious if she found out what had actually happened so he lied,

"I got some money from Sonic earlier." The bat scrutinized the lying hedgehog's face, but let it be.

"Uh…thanks Shadow." She smiled and that same guilty feeling came back. Nevertheless, they got up and strode out the door, unnoticed. It was a quiet walk back to Rouge's home. Rouge was a little slow but, Shadow waited every time for her to catch up. They reached her small home after a few minutes more.

"Welcome back home." He mumbled.

"Don't forget my credit card later." She reminded him. Shadow nodded.

"Come to Sonic's house at 1 PM. I'll be there to give you your credit card." She leaned against the door frame and glanced up happily at Shadow,

"Did you have fun?" she asked. The hedgehog hesitated, trying to find out if he did or not.

"Uh…yea, I did. It was great." He replied, at a loss of words. Rouge grinned, joyful that he'd enjoyed his time.

"That's wonderful! You should do that more often." Shadow pondered the thought and shrugged,

"I don't know. I'd have to go with you then." She nudged him playfully and he smirked at her behavior.

"See you tomorrow then, Shadow!" she smiled, kissed Shadow on the cheek and disappeared into her home, leaving the hedgehog outside…stunned. He was frozen in place. Slowly, and carefully, he touched the place where her lips had kissed him. A cold shiver traveled throughout his body. He shrugged off the feeling but smiled inwardly. The hedgehog turned on his heel and trudged toward his cardboard box, not far from her home. While walking back to his cardboard box, he thought of applying for a job. It was a strange thought but, he couldn't steal from someone else again. He could've asked for a job at Rouge's club earlier but, the club was discontinued for now. Shadow could work at the same place Sonic did, he'd just have to ask tomorrow. Next to his cardboard box, there was a wrapped up package and another cardboard box to…widen his home. He flipped open the card curiously and saw Rouge's handwriting. The hedgehog ripped open the gift and saw extra money, some food and an application for a job at her club that she was now going to continue. He was surprised and smiled at the gifts. The hedgehog stored the presents in a corner of his old cardboard box. He punched open the one side of one cardboard box and did the same to the other. Then, he pushed the boxes together. His home was now long enough for him to sleep with his legs stretched out. She'd probably done all of that when he was away at the trial. He lay down, and was pleased. For the first time in a long time, he rested well and had sweet dreams…


	6. It Begins

Rouge flopped onto her feathery bed joyfully. It was great spending time at the restaurant with Shadow. The time that they had wasn't as bad as she thought it would've been. She bit her lip. Hopefully, she didn't go overboard with lightly kissing him…really, it was only a peck. Then, she began thinking of the gifts she'd left for him. She'd hoped that he'd gotten the presents and that nobody had stolen them or anything. Inwardly, she frowned. She hated people who stole from others. The bat stretched her good arm and decided to go take a quick shower. She whipped off her clothes and flipped on the hot water. While she was showering, Rouge heard her cellphone ring. She groaned and grumbled,

"I can't have one moment of peace…" annoyed, she opened up the shower door, wrapped a white towel around her torso, and ran to her phone. The water was still running but right now, she had no care for conserving it. Angrily, she snapped open the small, lavender phone and replied,

"Talk." She heard Knuckles' voice as he responded with a meek "hello". Furious, she hung up on him without even letting him get the chance to have another word come out of his mouth. She never wanted to speak to him again. The phone rang again but this time, she ignored the loud phone and went back to finish up her shower. She clenched her teeth when the phone rang out again downstairs. Nevertheless, she finished her shower quickly. Rouge grabbed a towel and dried herself as she stepped outside of the wet shower. Inwardly, she wondered if she should answer the phone the next time Knuckles called. She was still angry at him. The bat slipped into her pajamas and slipped onto her balcony in the back. She shuffled her feet in her fuzzy slippers and sat down in a black, metal chair. Rouge leaned back and gazed up at the stars. They twinkled one by one and the moon shone brighter than ever. Her eyes were filled with the light as a shooting star whizzed by. A chilly wind blew by and she wrapped a light blanket around her as she pulled her legs closer and sat cross-legged on the chair. She just wanted to get away from all of her stress for awhile. The world seemed so calm and quiet for a moment…until her phone rang again. Her fur slapped against her face as she rushed back in and angrily answered her phone,

"Hello?!!?" she screamed, agitated. A different voice came up,

"Rouge, is that you? It's Amy. I've been trying to call you…what's wrong?" embarrassed, the bat paused for a moment.

"You still there?" the pink hedgehog called out into the phone.

"Yea…yea. It was nothing. Sorry." She mumbled, still very embarrassed, back to Amy. Amy laughed happily and Rouge was relieved,

"So, what is it?" Rouge replied, a little more collected, as she sat down comfortably on her bedside.

"Oh, um, I wanted to know if you had any good ideas about how to…"

"Get Sonic?" the bat replied matter-of-factly to the stuttering hedgehog,

"…yes…" she replied softly. Rouge let out giggles. She recomposed quickly though. The bat just thought that it was so cute that Amy was so persistent in her love for Sonic even though she was only a young 12 year old girl and he was a "mature" 15 year old.

"Okay, here's the thing Amy. Sonic isn't the type of guy who likes things forced on him…"  
"I've realized that…" Amy grumbled, upset.

"So, go easy on him. If you suddenly don't pay attention to him, maybe it'll have your wanted effect." Rouge could hear the pink hedgehog's excitement as it clicked into her mind.

"Oh my gawd, thank you, thank you!!!!" she screamed happily into Rouge's ear.

"Ouch…" the bat replied while laughing.

"But, what if it doesn't work…?" The pink hedgehog's voice dropped.

"We'll have to wait and see then Amy." Rouge reassured her. When Amy had settled down a little more she asked Rouge an unexpected question,

"So, what's up with you and Shadow?" that caught the bat totally off guard. She froze in place,

"Uh…what?" she managed to cough out of her suddenly dry throat. Rouge heard Amy sigh on the other side of the phone,

"Oh, **come on** Rouge." The young hedgehog huffed.

"It's so obvious that even Sonic found out." Rouge swallowed and kept silent for a while. If Sonic found out, so did Knuckles. That was why the echidna had called. She bit her lip…that was so bad.

"You still there?" Amy's voice brought her back to their conversation.

"Um…I don't wanna talk about…"

"It's the greatest news ever though!! You can't deny it!!!" the excited hedgehog's voice cut off Rouge's. The bat really wasn't in the mood for telling her everything. She got off the bed and talked to Amy as she headed downstairs for water.

"Please Amy, can you tell me what happened when you guys found out?" She needed to know how Knuckles reacted…he could be really mad now.

"Oh, well. I was the **real** one to notice 'cause we're girls and everything. I was so happy for you. Sonic was so surprised and then he started dancing around and saying that he knew that Shadow was with you. Tails was shocked. He kinda just stood there real quiet and all. And then Knuckles…"

"What about him?" Rouge asked cautiously when Amy trailed off mid-sentence.

"He started going all ballistic. You should've seen him. He was cursing like crazy and left without another word." Rouge bit her lip. Shadow could be in serious danger as well as herself. Whenever Knuckles got angry, he was unstoppable. That was half the reason she left.

"Why?" Amy's voice rang out in the silence. It was a little weird for Rouge to be asking about Knuckles now.

"Uh…I was just curious." The bat covered, holding her breath, hoping that the young, rose hedgehog would buy her alibi.

"Oh…so, what's going on? C'mon, tell me! I'm dying!" she excitedly replied. The bat was relieved that Amy didn't bother to question her further on the reason why she wanted to know about Knuckles. The hedgehog was bombarding her with more questions about Shadow though. She thought that she, herself, had hidden her feelings pretty well…but, maybe not. It could've been the dark hedgehog's fault as well. Rouge groaned and responded,

"Really Amy, I don't wanna talk about it." She heard Amy huff and sigh.

"Aw…fine. That's okay. Well, I gotta go. Bye." The pink hedgehog left on a quick note and now all Rouge could hear was the dial tone. She checked her messages. All of them were from the echidna. Rouge paused for a moment, wondering whether or not she should look at them. She decided it wouldn't hurt so she started out with the first one. Knuckles had written,

"Rouge, I'm sorry. I love you." She sniffed at the message and deleted it. The next one said,

"I miss you. Please come back." Rouge huffed and deleted that one as well with a push of a button. These were so sappy now, they meant nothing to her. She deleted all of his other messages one right after the other. After just reading two of his messages, she was reluctant to read the rest. They were worthless words to the bat. She angrily thought that if he actually cared he wouldn't have left in the first place. The bat tossed the phone onto her small nightstand, opened up the drapes that surrounded her bed and snuggled herself in. She tossed and turned for a couple of minutes and finally sat up tiredly again,

"Y'know what you need Rouge. A cup of milk before bed to calm you down." She talked to herself. Inwardly, she knew that all she **really** needed was a simple miracle…one that would take away all her troubles. Slowly, she stepped down her stairs, yawning. Rouge filled up a small, clear cup with milk and drank in silence. When she was back in her room, she sat on her bedside again, kicking her legs back and forth. What would Knuckles do now? He was so unpredictable. She then thought about Shadow. How would he feel when they told him that they'd found out? She shook her head and sighed. All boys were so unpredictable, she concluded. Everything would unfold tomorrow and she wouldn't have to worry anymore, the bat reassured herself even though it didn't help her at all. She wished that everyone would just go away. The only place where that could happen was her dreams though so, Rouge pulled the covers way over her head and yawned herself to sleep…

AN: ONCE AGAIN, I DON'T OWN SONIC THE HEDGEHOG OR ANY AFFILIATED CHARACTERS. I think I forgot to mention it a few times on other chapters, but hopefully nobody copyrights...? C'mon, you all know that if I did own Sega and Sonic Team I would so totally...[you can finish the sentence yourself 'cause I'm sure you all can.] :)


	7. Domino Effect

The hedgehog stretched out his cold, stiff body in the misty morning light. Unwillingly, he crouched and hobbled out of his cardboard boxes. He moved his hand to grab his food that Rouge had left and ate it slowly and thoughtfully. It was a little too chewy for his taste but, it was breakfast all the same. When Shadow finished the small morning meal that the bat had put together for him he shook out his still sleeping limbs to awaken them. He had plenty of time until 1 PM when he had to be there to retrieve Rouge's credit card from the museum curator and then give it to the lawyer for her payment. There wasn't much for him to do. He remembered the job application form and decided to fill it out…but he couldn't, no writing utensil. Agitated, he got up and grunted. The hedgehog made his way over to Rouge's to see if she could lend him a pen for the time being. He paused at the door, actually a bit nervous. Inwardly, Shadow hit his head and then knocked briskly on the wooden door. When there was no reply, he rang the doorbell. Still nothing. Shadow sighed and kicked open the door. There was no alarm system or anything so it made it much easier than he would've expected. He climbed up the stairs and tapped lightly on her door. It creaked open and he saw the bat still in dreamland. She was sleeping in her bed peacefully. The hedgehog smiled and decided not to bother her. He fished around for a pen downstairs and finally came up with one. Quickly, he filled out the form, capped the pen, placed the form where she could see it, and slipped back outside soundlessly. Shadow closed the door quietly and shuffled back to his cardboard boxes. He squatted down and picked up the money that was sitting in the corner of one of the boxes. Money was extremely useless right now; he couldn't afford a home with it anyways. He started to feel lonely when he realized the time was only 7:00 AM. Rouge was probably sleeping in and that was why she wasn't awake. A bird flitted by and through the clouds as Shadow glanced up. He sighed; all of this loneliness was getting to him. In his mind, he quietly replayed the trial over and over in his mind. It wouldn't leave him alone. He kept feeling guilty for using Rouge's money to take care of his own problems. Those thoughts kept him from doing anything productive for at least half an hour before Shadow commanded himself to go and take a walk. His shoes made loud noises against the pavement. He seemed to be going no where until his feet led him to, surprisingly, Sonic's house again. It seemed to be the haven for people who were confused or needed attention. Reluctantly, his hand shot up and rang his doorbell. He heard snoring stop abruptly and a yawn,

"Coming, coming." Came the groggy, slurred voice of Sonic. The blue hedgehog pulled the door open and his eyes lit up a bit.

"Hey, what's up?" he questioned as he tiredly leaned against the doorframe.

"Nothing. I just wanted to come and visit." He mumbled as he brushed past Sonic. Shadow glanced downward at the floor as he sat in another chair. Sonic stumbled back into his home as he shut his door.

"Oh…make yourself at home then." Sonic replied as he stepped up the stairs to take a quick shower. Shadow grunted and took that as a bit of an insult. The blue hedgehog knew very well that Shadow lived in those cardboard boxes. He kept his mouth shut though, he was probably just tired. The water rushed out and the sound filled Sonic's home. Shadow waited patiently for him to come back down. When he did, Sonic had a towel in his hands and was wiping his fur.

"So, again I ask, what's up?" Sonic questioned Shadow again.

"Nothing." Shadow replied, annoyed. He stressed out the word 'nothing'.

"Oh, come on. You can't be serious when you've got a new girlfriend." Shadow's eyes widened and he shot Sonic a bewildered expression.

"What in the world are you talking about?" Sonic laughed and gave Shadow a hardy slap on the back,

"We found out!" he grinned playfully. The dark hedgehog was far from happy though, he was utterly furious.

"Argh!!!" he yelled out as he pushed Sonic back. The blue hedgehog was confused,

"Ok…now I'm confused."

"You all…knew what?" Shadow questioned lowly.

"That you and Rouge are together…just like I thought." Sonic shrugged indifferently. The other hedgehog growled and his crimson eyes narrowed into slits.

"Who told you that nonsense?" he angrily replied. Sonic laughed to Shadow's annoyance.

"It was kind of obvious. Amy found out at first when she remembered that Rouge was in the direction you were running and you said she was hurt…so, it's true?" Shadow shook his head and his monotone voice came back,

"We're nothing Sonic. Absolutely nothing." Sonic sighed and realized that he wasn't going to give up that easily.

"Okay then, if you're nothing then why did you decide to even help her?"

"What, do you want me to leave her to get raped or something?" Shadow angrily shot back, his eyes flaring. Sonic was playing with some dangerous fire right now.

"Why'd you go together out to eat?" Shadow eyes bore holes into the indifferent blue hedgehog.

"We…never…did." Shadow separated the words and slowly hissed them at Sonic so he would get the message.

"Oh, really?" he replied in mock-belief.

"I'm sorry, but I just don't buy it." Sonic averted his gaze from the other hedgehog and grunted.

"Why would you think that?" Shadow questioned cautiously. There was no way he could've saw them together...at the restaurant. It was merely a kind gesture anyways and Sonic was pushing his patience to its limit.

"Well…I dunno it's just that…"

"That what?" Shadow spat out at the annoying hedgehog.

"Ah, never mind. I guess I'm wrong." Sonic gave up quickly. He didn't want to argue with the agitated hedgehog. Shadow grunted, having won their little scuffle; his eyes still wild. The dark hedgehog checked the time; it was 8:00 AM. Only an hour had passed in the seemingly endless day. From the corner of his eye, Shadow saw Sonic get up and step into his kitchen for something quick to eat. The blue hedgehog came back in and offered a piece of toast to Shadow, but, he refused it. He'd already eaten. It was quiet now in Sonic's home, not a word was spoken or shared between the two hedgehogs. After Sonic was finished, he got up once more to visit Tails, he said.

"Do you want to come along?" he questioned. There was nothing better to do so he accepted. Sonic flung open the door and dashed off. Shadow smirked and followed his lead, eventually catching up. Now it was a race, it kept Shadow's mind occupied. They ran swiftly, side by side. Streaks of bright color, racing down the quiet morning streets. Both were determined to get to the kitsune first, it was their competitive nature. Their eyes were strictly focused ahead and their legs were moving so fast, that they were nearly invisible. Tails's house shot up quickly from the horizon line and both competitors glanced at each other for a split-second, bursting with more speed. They both screeched to a stop, inches away from their awe-struck friend. Sonic laughed while Shadow smirked at Tails.

"So who came first?" Sonic asked Tails. The kitsune shook his head, as if getting out of a crazy dream and shrugged,

"Sorry, Sonic. I wasn't paying attention to who got here first. I just didn't want to be run over!" he joked happily. Sonic laughed along again. Shadow closed his eyes and leaned against the X-Tornado. What a waste of time, he thought. Sonic and Tails were busy shoving each other playfully in banters of happiness.

"Thanks for coming to visit though, I was getting so bored!" Tails gave a relieved sigh.

"Anything you want us to do Tails?" Sonic questioned eagerly. Inwardly, Shadow disagreed, they was no 'us'.

"Uh, can you guys help me with finishing up the check on the X-Tornado? You never know when this baby could break down." He patted the airship gently. Soon, they were all busy. Whether it was checking the parts, making sure it was running smoothly or getting the high priced gas the X-Tornado needed to get off the ground. Sonic was rushing around like a mad hedgehog, Tails was covered in oil and grease, and Shadow was flipping different switches to make sure they were functioning properly. It was tedious and annoying but, it beat just moping around with nothing to do. All of the X-Tornado work was finished at 10:30 AM. Sonic joyfully rummaged through Tails's refrigerator for something quick to eat for lunch. Tails laughed and Shadow smirked at Sonic. Tails offered Shadow a sandwich. The dark hedgehog glanced at the sandwich, sighed, and nibbled a corner of it.

"A job well done, huh guys?" Tails questioned with a smile playing on his face.

"You betcha." Sonic gave his own signature smile and then attacked the rest of his poor sandwich. Shadow gave Sonic a disgusted look as some lettuce from the sandwich fell out. The blue hedgehog was blissfully oblivious as he kept talking to Tails.

"So you're all done, right?" Shadow asked Tails cautiously. As much as he was happy that the tasks ate up time, he was reluctant to do anymore of his dirty work. The kitsune nodded and sighed, relieved.

"No more, Shadow." The dark hedgehog shrugged and got off the X-Tornado, where they were all sitting.

"Where're you going?" Sonic inquired Shadow with another mouthful of his sandwich. Shadow gave Sonic another disgusted look and Tails playfully shoved his best friend.

"I have to go and pick up…something." Shadow quickly ended, catching himself. Then, he dashed off before Sonic could rattle up an argue with him again. The way home seemed like a much longer journey because Shadow was in no rush. There was no race, and no need to be so pressed for time. The hedgehog slowed to a brisk walk as he approached Sonic's neighborhood. He checked the time on a large clock tower a little ways off in the middle of town. 11:30 AM. There was still an hour and thirty minutes to waste he told himself. As Shadow was walking down the street, he saw a figure calling out to him in the distance.

"Shadow!!!" the hedgehog recognized the voice as Rouge and wondered what she could need now. She quickly met up with him, her breathing ever so uneven.

"Thank goodness I caught you!" she smiled and Shadow shrugged.

"It's about your application form; you're now a part of my club faculty." Shadow gave a sigh of slight annoyance and nodded,

"That's great." He replied. Rouge playfully nudged Shadow and he smirked.

"So, at 1 PM today, right?" she questioned. Shadow nodded and they silently walked towards Sonic's house.

"Do you think he'll mind that we're going into his home?" Rouge inquired Shadow. The dark hedgehog shook his head,

"Nope, he has nothing valuable to steal anyways." The bat rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Yea, no jewels or anything." Shadow glanced at her at shot a small smile.

"So where were you this morning?" she tilted her head to get a better look at the shady hedgehog's face.

"Helping Sonic and Tails with their X-Tornado." He replied, emotionless. Rouge smiled, he actually helped them do something.

"That's great!" Shadow shrugged and they kept going. It was an awkward walk and Sonic's house seemed so far away.

"Thanks for everything." Shadow replied softly, breaking the loud silence.

"Huh? Oh, yea. I'm glad you like them!" Rouge responded. The hedgehog nodded, but he wasn't just talking about her gifts. Just the company made Shadow more agreeable everyday. Her kiss yesterday was very unexpected as well. That had filled Shadow's heart so remarkably quickly that he sometimes wondered if all she really was, was a bat. These feelings had Shadow thinking hard and keeping his mouth quiet.

"I just woke up, I'm so tired." Rouge smiled and laughed. Shadow replied,

"Shouldn't you sleep more then?" the bat shook her head,

"Nonsense, what's staying in bed gonna do for me. I got a club to run and…everything." Her voice lost its steam and Shadow was confused,

"What's everything else?" Rouge's face became uncomfortable. It was a touchy matter,

"Y'know…Knuckles and stuff." The hedgehog nodded. She must've still loved him.

"He's getting annoying, calling me and stuff. I'm fine." Scratch that…Shadow inwardly thought. The hedgehog questioned her again,

"Nothing else then?" she shook her head and bit her lip; hoping that he'd drop the topic. Rouge didn't want to say anything stupid or ramble on.

"Oh…" he mumbled and they walked some more.

"I heard the funniest thing last night." She decided to finally tell him what was on her mind. That put Shadow at ease. Rouge really did trust him, it was reassuring,

"What?" he inquired, curious to know what was so funny.

"Oh, uh, Amy called last night. She was talking about…um…" she paused and realized what she was about to tell the hedgehog.

"How she tried to get Sonic that day…really hilarious." She tried her best to crack a smile but, it failed. The bat was undeniably the worst liar ever. Shadow didn't feel like bothering her today though,

"Wow…" he replied. The hedgehog didn't mean to sound sharp; it just came out of his mouth like that. She colored as Shadow glanced over. Rouge was so secretive, eventually he would find out though. He always did. Finally, they reached Sonic's house to wait for the lawyer to bring Rouge's credit card back. The museum curator had kindly given it to her when the museum was done withdrawing their needed money from it. Shadow felt so guilty and knew that she'd be furious when she found out. Rouge tried to open the door while Shadow was standing there; silent, thinking about what would happen.

"A little help!" she squeaked as she pushed and pulled the door, in an attempt to open it. Shadow had the bat stand behind him and he effortlessly kicked open the door,

"That's my way of opening doors." He replied with a hint of humor in his usually emotionless voice. The bat was in awe at how much power one hedgehog could have. She smiled and laughed as she stepped through the door frame past Shadow. He followed in after her. She sprawled herself on one of Sonic's couches. Her body wasn't fully healed yet, and it hurt still to walk around. Shadow placed himself in a chair next to the worn out bat. She sighed,

"Whew, still got it I suppose." Her lips formed into a real smile and Shadow shook his head.

"Geez lay off. You're going to get hurt again." He replied matter-of-factly like. Rouge rolled her eyes but knew Shadow was joking around. The hedgehog's eyes flitted from the bat to the clock on the wall. 12:00 PM. Noon…how troublesome. There was a long hour waiting to be ticked by.

"So, tell me. Anything happen recently that's funny?" Rouge questioned the silent hedgehog with her eyes shut.

"Uh…" he replied, thinking. There was the fact that Sonic thought they were together but, she would find out soon.

"Nothing really." Rouge nodded; her bright sapphire eyes searched the hedgehog for any other answers but, found nothing in him. He was too good at hiding his feelings. Shadow had been doing it for a long time. There was another loud silence and Rouge shifted uncomfortably. She should feel normal around Shadow but, something inside her kept nagging every part of her mind. Did she really like him? After a couple of minutes, the bat had fallen asleep again. She really was tired; Shadow knew that from the beginning. He was about to get up and fetch her a blanket or something when Sonic and Tails burst in through the front door,

"Hey, Shadow! Whatcha doing?" Sonic questioned. His eyes traveled from the dark hedgehog and to the bust opened door.

"Hey!!" Sonic exclaimed.

"You broke in!" Shadow shrugged and kept an indifferent face. Tails laughed and reassured Sonic not to get angry.

"Remember your anger management classes Sonic. You don't want to have us to have paid for some thing worthless." Sonic grumbled something about Tails thinking he was so smart but shut up. He saw Rouge on his couch,

"Oh, Rouge's here too?" Shadow nodded cautiously and Sonic grinned,

"So…absolutely **nothing** is going on?" he questioned the dark hedgehog. Shadow growled,

"I already told you, I don't like her. She's just an annoying companion." Unfortunately, Rouge had opened an eyes a bit and had heard every word. Her eyes welled up with tears. They were nothing…he had said that. It broke her heart and she felt that same crushed feeling as when she'd found Knuckles with the other girls. Obviously, she was just an annoying bat-girl. She sat up, tears streaming down her face; not able to hold her heart back anymore,

"How can that be? Maybe I was wrong, you are just a heartless hedgehog!" she screamed, pain apparent in every way. Sonic and Tails were silent and wide-eyed. Shadow was utterly surprised and tried to calm her down. He had only been trying to hide his feelings. The hedgehog had meant nothing that he'd said,

"Rouge…I…"

"You what?!!? You know, I don't care!" she screeched and despite her physical pains, she ran away from the selfless hedgehog and everyone. Her heart was hurt too much. She couldn't feel her arms or legs. The bat just ran and began to fly away. Her make up started to come off again and she screamed up in the air where no one could hear. Salty tears ran down her cheeks as she sobbed heavily. She'd left a surprised hedgehog behind. No more, she thought. How she truly hated him now.

"I HATE YOU, SHADOW!!!!" she screamed into the endless grey sky, with only the clouds to listen to her pity.


	8. Tension

The hedgehog stood, silent and still. Shock coursed throughout the room. Sonic and Tails glanced each other and averted their eyes away from Shadow. Tails bit his lip and Sonic rubbed the back of his head. Shadow shoulders shook ever so slightly as he whirled around, his eyes flaming and anger more apparent than ever. Slowly, he walked up to Sonic and lifted one, cold hand; never taking his crimson eyes away from boring holes into Sonic. The blue hedgehog snapped his eyes shut as Shadow effortlessly smashed him through the open door and into his yard. Sonic felt hurt physically but, also inside for hurting Shadow. His breathing grew jagged and he held his arm. Tails gasped and hid behind a couch. He was only an eight year old. Shadow appeared behind Sonic again and kicked him hard in the back. This time, the blue hedgehog couldn't stand it, he screamed out in pain. Tails's eyes watered up and he sobbed softly at Shadow's anger. The dark hedgehog didn't let up one bit, a barrage of punches, kicks and hits fell upon Sonic, until he lay unconscious on the ground. The kitsune kept quiet but, inwardly, he was frightened and as Shadow left Sonic outside in the pattering rain he cried harder. Shadow ran down the street, with no destination. Salty tears sprung up and Shadow fought them back. Tails crawled over to Sonic's body and placed a hand on his still shoulder. Finally, the young kitsune cried out and threw his body upon the floor. He felt around for Sonic's heartbeat only to find it incredibly faint. Over and over again, he screamed out his name. Sonic…sonic….sonic that same name echoed throughout the quiet streets. Tails pounded the ground with pain while keeping his eyes shut. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. The lawyer was standing out in the rain. Tails slowly creaked open the door and snatched the credit card from the mink. She blinked a couple of times when she saw the kitsune's distress but, left. Tails threw the card onto a coffee table and sat shivering. His two, twin tails wrapped themselves around his body and he shook, with an overflow of new tears. Sonic made a noise and immediately, Tails was by his side. He managed to get Sonic inside and the blue hedgehog murmured,

"Shadow…" before he fell back, letting his head rest on the hard floor. Tails put a thin blanket around the hedgehog and a pillow under his head. He shakily glanced at the far away figure of Shadow and turned his head in shame. Tears of anger flew down Shadow's face. They were nearly invisible in the pouring rain. He heaved another course breath and slammed an angry fist into a brick wall of a building. The hedgehog yelled out in pain as he crumbled down to the ground. His eyes flitting around the open sky, to find the bat possibly. He'd just stood and watched her walk away…Shadow shoved a large, metal mailbox over as he walked quietly in the rain through his tears. He ripped throughout the streets, legs moving quickly. The hedgehog tripped and fell down onto the uninviting pavement. He shook as his hands gripped the ground. His voice echoed throughout the dark, rainy streets as he screamed out in anger. Everything he did turned on him. How ironic. There was so much to say and suddenly, he regretted keeping all away from the bat. She would never know the truth now. What to do now….what to do now, a question too hard to be answered now. What pain that he'd put her through. This pain…it felt as unforgiving as when he'd lost Maria. So many emotions were put in to his confused mind. It's not too late…it's not too late to change what happened. To put things the way they should be. He angrily thought and slowly, his shaking body stood itself up. So this is what pains me all the time…regret, sadness and forgotten love, he thought. I've taken so many things now…this breaks my hold. Shadow's look turned determined and he ran in Knuckles's direction. His tears kept coming; angrily he wiped them away with the heel of his gloved hand. He knocked on Knuckles's door. The echidna wasn't home. Shadow kicked down the door and searched the home. There was a note on the table. It was written to Rouge, yet, it was unfinished. The echidna had written his feelings and the hurt that Shadow was feeling currently. There was an ink splatter at the end, made from the anger of unknowing. Unknowing of how to respond. Knuckles was probably at the bat's house right now. It hurt Shadow to even think about going back to her home in the state he was in right now. His feet led him toward her home anyways. It looked vaguely ominous in the never letting up rain. He heard the echidna's screams from inside her house. She wasn't home and his anger was unleashed.

"It's his entire fault!!!" he made out those words and knew that Knuckles was talking about him. Shadow stepped through the door and the echidna stopped. He whirled around the face the hedgehog. His eyes gleaming with rage as he clenched his teeth,

"What do you want?" Knuckles questioned angrily. Shadow returned the red echidna's glare but, kept silent. In anger, Knuckles lashed out at Shadow. The dark hedgehog felt his spiked fist against his torso as he was flung out the door into the rain again. Blood was coughed out and Shadow wiped it away with his spotless glove.

"Do you see what you've done?!!? This is your fault!!" he called out as he hit Shadow again. The hedgehog kept his gaze downward as rain and blood spilled all around him.

"Things just don't go the way I want them too either." Shadow replied softly. Knuckles stopped in mid-punch and gave Shadow a look.

"What are you talking about?"

"You can take her back. She doesn't want me anymore." The echidna gave a truly confused look now. He stepped back, away from the hedgehog.

"What did you do?"

"I told her that she was just an annoying companion." Shadow breathed out. Knuckles had hurt him greatly. The echidna had stopped hurting him.

"So where is she now?" Shadow shook his head,

"I don't know." Both rivals were now on equal ground. Knuckles turned on his heel and walked away from Shadow, leaving him on the ground in pain. That was all he needed to know. Rouge was flying up in the sky somewhere…she would have to come down soon. Shadow managed to sit up and close his eyes, feeling the physical pain that he needed to feel to release all of the mental pain that was stored up. In the stormy skies, Rouge wasn't any better. She kept telling herself that she didn't need anyone; it was okay…the day would lighten up. Shadow had gone too far though, she promised herself not to let up on him when they met up again. They were through…if there was even anything. No longer would he come back into her mind or that embarrassed feeling that she always felt around him. This is what his price to pay was now. Her wings finally told her to stop and take a rest. She headed toward her home and saw Shadow on the ground. The bat descended and their eyes met. Her watery, azure ones clashed against his fiery, crimson ones. It was only for a split-second for Rouge brushed past him like he was non-existent and walked into her home. Her credit card was on the table. Tails had returned it before Knuckles or Shadow had arrived. She could feel Shadow's gaze on her and finally she spoke,

"What Shadow?" her voice was just above a whisper. Shadow mumbled an apology,

"I'm sorry…" Rouge whipped around and glared at him.

"Sorry again?" she was sick and tired of all of these boys telling her they were sorry…they never meant it.

"If you were really sorry, you'd have never talked to me in the beginning! **Then** this would've never happened!" she shot a cold, hard glance behind her back.

"And you know what's really funny? I thought you actually **liked** being 'happy'." Rouge spat out angrily. Shadow felt the rain slide down his fur and kept silent.

"I do…" he replied after a while.

"Well, probably not with an annoying bat, huh?" she hissed. Her anger wouldn't back down easily. He pushed himself up with effort and managed to stand up despite the pain that told him to stop.

"You have to understand…"

"I don't want to listen to what you think is right anymore!" Rouge snapped, cutting him off. He shook his head and water droplets flew off his drenched body. Shadow stepped up to Rouge and to his true height. He was so close; she could feel his warm breath against her face. She was about to push him away again when his lips touched hers so softly. It was like an electric shock…right there in the rain. The whole world was crashing down around them but, it melted away slowly. Her eyes were wide open with curiosity and wonder. Her conscience warned her against it and scolded her for being such a pushover but, she put her arms around him anyways and fell into his kiss. They held each other, eyes closed, and feeling the warmth of the other person. Her tiny body in his strong arms felt that fuzzy feeling again. Shadow finally pulled away and their eyes locked. The dark hedgehog saw her confusion, sadness and anger. They were all mixed inside her bright, sapphire eyes. His own eyes burned with anger as well. Anger at himself and his foolishness. Shadow turned around and walked away in the mist and rain…leaving behind Rouge, stunned. She sunk down to the ground, watching the dark hedgehog step away, the atmosphere drained from color…hiding him as he went further and further.

Shadow kept walking, his feet were sluggish and they almost seemed to drag on the wet sidewalk. He felt her gaze linger on him as he disappeared behind a corner and into his cold, quiet alleyway. The boxes had sunk in again and appeared lifeless...like everything else surrounding the hedgehog. He lay down in them, silent. His head hurt like no tomorrow and the swirling feeling of guilt and regret rung loud in his ears. As his eyes watched the rain splash down, memories began to sting again. The old wounds that were previously covered up, slashed themselves open again. Images of Tails's horrified, Sonic's pained, and Rouge's hurt expressions kept popping up; it added to the salt that was being rubbed into his pained areas. He wouldn't be able to face anyone anymore. Rouge was confused in her own home as well. She paced back and forth, tapping her chin with her index finger. Once and awhile, she glanced down the street and towards the alleyway again. Shadow was so...different, why did he do that? One minute, she was furious with him...and the next? The poor bat just simply melted into his arms. It wasn't that she didn't like that feeling. Whenever a guy put his arms around her, she got all tingly…it was an adored adrenaline rush. But now...it wasn't the right moment to do all of that. She shook her head violently and her mind jumped to the echidna's behavior. There was something strictly different between the two boys. She just couldn't put her finger on it. Agitated, she sat in a chair and exhaled a long breath. The bat hugged her legs and laid her head on its side. Carefully, in her mind, she began to weigh out the boys. She still felt Shadow's presence in the room even after he had left. He had this feeling...it was a bit ominous and made her want to never get on his bad side. Nobody could stop him. Knuckles was a little like that, except, he was a little more aggressive. Never, would he choose the right words and he wasn't the type of guy to listen. Equally tough, and equally persistent in getting what they wanted. She groaned. Rouge really cared for them both but, this was getting out of hand for her. Sometimes, she wished that there was no such thing as love…then there would be no predicament to get in. She fingered her credit card and thought deeply about her last thought. Abruptly, Rouge grabbed her purse and stuffed the card in one of its pockets. Desperate, she snatched up her phone. She had to talk to Amy...she was a girl…it would make her feel better. The ringing tone called out over and over again until she heard Amy's voice message,

"Hi, this is Amy. I can't get to phone right now, but if you leave your name and phone number I can call you back! See ya!" Rouge heard the long beep tone and then it was silent, waiting for a message. She snapped her phone shut and glanced downward. The phone was then stuffed into her purse alongside the credit card. She closed her eyes and sighed. There was no one to talk to, she didn't know what the hell she wanted, and it was raining. The bat huffed indignantly and glared out the window. Raindrops splattered themselves on the window. She wasn't helpless…but sometimes it hurt so much to think about her love life. The bat saw Knuckles stepping around in the rain, Rouge's eyes didn't know whether or not to harden or soften. The same went for Shadow. She was torn apart. She was about to growl at herself again when, the echidna turned toward her home. Inwardly, she gasped as his eyes seemed to glance right into her. Fortunately, he didn't see her; she ducked down and bit her lip. Knuckles went up right to her door though and knocked. Scratch that, she angrily retorted herself. She slowly opened up. Knuckles seemed a little upset as well. Their eyes locked this time. It wasn't the same feeling though as when Shadow had just minutes earlier…it made her wonder. Silently, he sat down as the white bat tossed him a towel to dry off with. The echidna glanced over at Rouge. She was leaning against the door frame, waiting to hear what he had to say.

"Hey…" he mumbled. The bat replied,

"Hi." They averted their eyes from each other.

"I heard about what happened with Shadow." He broke the silence again.

"Yea." She breathed out. The bat didn't want it to end this way…

"So what now?" he questioned Rouge. Truthfully, she didn't know. She loved Knuckles but, Shadow had been there for her. They'd both hurt her and apologized too. Knuckles realized her hesitation and he glared down at the floor,

"You have to hesitate?" he hissed.

"Well, what do you want me to do?!" she angrily spat back. This is what she hated…he wouldn't just listen and let her be.

"I want you to come back to me." He whispered. Rouge shot him a glare,

"It's not that easy…"

"It is about him…isn't it!?!" he yelled at Rouge, his eyes filled with fire. She winced and turned away.

"Is it?!?" he screamed into her ears as she pressed herself against a wall. Knuckles had her cornered. When she didn't respond Knuckles flipped over the chair he had sat on and reached out to hit Rouge. She bit her lip and shut her eyes tightly as she saw the hand start to come down. The raw slap burned her cheek as Knuckles's gloved hand made contact. The echidna glowered at her,

"What? When is he the one who's cared for you? When has he been something in between us?!" she squeezed one tear out of her right eye and glanced at Knuckles.

"He's the one who was there when you weren't." she replied softly. Knuckles growled,

"Wrong answer." He kicked her in the side. She screamed out in pain.

"Stop! If you cared right now, you'd stop!" he was about to hit her again before she screeched that. His eyes carefully took in the situation. He felt guilty. It wasn't her fault at all...he just didn't know who to take it out on anymore. She was sobbing right in front of him...and he was the cause. Slowly, he backed away and sunk into her couch. He was upset; there was no way for him to express his feelings in the way he wanted to. Why did she have to like that other hedgehog…he hated it. The idea always made his blood boil and then anger controlled him,

"I'm sorry." He quietly replied. His eyes saw her terrified face shift into an angry one.

"Sorry?" she replied. Knuckles realized his wrong choice of words and stood up.

"Rouge, please, you can't leave me…" the bat was the angry one this time.

"No, I can…and I will." She lowly growled and she brushed past the echidna. Knuckles grabbed her arm and hugged her. The hug felt so emotionless though…nothing happened. She pushed away and shook her head. Rouge began to fly away again and the echidna watched in anger. She really didn't care anymore…it was all Shadow's fault. He yelled out in anger and slammed his fists into the pavement. There was no one now…he had to resort to taking out the hedgehog. They would fight it out. Inwardly, Knuckles knew that he stood no chance. He thought hard about how to end it. The echidna loved Rouge so dearly…now he would do anything, he vowed to himself as he walked away from the home. The bat had only flown up past the clouds and come back down. She was weary and descended down onto the street again. Rouge didn't know who to turn to anymore. She got up and began to run to Amy's house to see if she was home now. While she was running, the bat slipped on a puddle and fell towards the ground. Her eyes snapped themselves shut, waiting for the impact but…it never happened. She glanced up and saw Shadow again holding her. The hedgehog up righted her and glanced away. Rouge glanced down at her shoes and mumbled a 'thank you'. Shadow turned and went back to his cardboard boxes. When Rouge saw the shape of his cardboard boxes and felt a pang of worry. He leaned on a brick wall and seemed to wait for her to leave. It felt so weird to just walk away from him. Shadow glanced at Rouge when she turned and began to leave. He could sense her need for comfort and her loneliness. Inwardly, he told himself not to touch her…she hated him. Half-heartedly, he had wished she'd stayed with him. Finally, she started off running towards Amy's home and Shadow's eyes followed her all the way. When Rouge reached Amy's home, she saw everyone else there except Knuckles and Shadow of course. Amy glanced up through her tears and managed to choke out,

"Oh, sorry Rouge. I didn't answer your phone call." The bat gave a confused face and Amy motioned to Sonic. He seemed dead but, Tails kept two fingers on his pulse to make sure he was still with everyone.

"What happened?" she inquired everyone. It was silent and Amy rubbed off another stray tear. Cream and Cheese were cuddled in a corner. Tails had a hard expression on as he wrapped another wound. No one wanted to answer the question floating in the air. Tails finally sighed and turned towards Rouge, leaving his post next to Sonic. Cream quickly took over with Cheese.

"When you left, Shadow got really mad at Sonic so he beat him up." It was a blunt and straight forward answer that hit Rouge hard. That was why he was so quiet and withdrawn again. She was shocked though, her eyes flitted to all the faces in the room. Tails' eyes watered up again but, he angrily blinked them back. Rouge was surprised at Tails' determination, he was only eight years old and right now, he was taking full responsibility of the situation. Still, he was only a kid; she could see the pain in his eyes.

"I got to go...I'll be back." She replied and ran outside again to the dark hedgehog. He was sitting on the pavement, keeping his gaze from Rouge,

"You beat up Sonic?" she replied. He nodded almost invisibly and Rouge threw him a confused, yet annoyed look,

"Why?" she asked. The question floated in the air, unanswered. Shadow shrugged. He really didn't know…he was really just angry that Sonic had brought up the question about him and Rouge. He was the one that set off the rage and so Shadow felt the need to pay him back. It wasn't the smartest thing to do at the time, that he could admit, but his body seemed to need it. Rouge grew angry now and she screamed in his face,

"Well, now look at him! He's all bruised up and everyone's miserable!" When the hedgehog didn't move at all, she pulled Shadow up on his feet and glared straight into his eyes. Shadow's eyes had gained the same harshness as before...they were so hard. He was just as confused and upset as she was but, he was much more skilled in hiding it. Shadow could read all of her emotions in her eyes at the moment. Instead of hitting him like she'd planned, Rouge paused. She pushed him away and then turned her back while glancing in the other direction. Shadow didn't reel back but, it sent him at least a step or two away from the bat. It was silent now. She then walked past Shadow and back towards Amy's house. Shadow glanced over his shoulder as she went further and further away, before he trudged in his own direction. When Rouge returned, Sonic was fully bandaged and was being taken care of. The bat was relieved but, she was still agitated at Shadow. What was wrong with him? What was going through his mind? She wished that she could tell. Amy clutched her drenched handkerchief tighter as Tails shook his head,

"There's not much we can do now. Just wait for him to get better." The kitsune seemed troubled even though he tried to act brave in front of his friends again. Rouge could see it in his eyes once more...the pink hedgehog dabbed her eyes once more before falling back into her chair. Tails had hooked up Sonic to Amy's computer. Even though it wasn't like Tails's own computer, it was suitable enough for the job. They all saw Sonic's pulse rate…a line on the blank screen going up and down, like waves on a forgotten ocean. Shadow was sitting down again under a tree this time. It didn't provide much shelter but, the rain was stopped better than before. Rain slid down the hedgehog's body and it made him shiver every once and a while. He saw Knuckles stalk towards him,

"I thought you said that it was over and done with." He hissed, fire spitting out of his mouth.

"I did." Shadow replied neutrally. Slowly, he was transforming back into his old self…

"Well, then why doesn't she come back to me?" he growled at Shadow. The dark hedgehog finally shot him one of his cold looks,

"I don't know." Agitated, Knuckles punched the tree that was above Shadow's head and it toppled over behind him.

"What do you mean you don't know?!!?!" he screamed into his face. Knuckles was about to punch Shadow this time but, the hedgehog's eyes warned him to hold back. The echidna cursed out loud instead after drawing back his clenched fist, as he walked away from the hedgehog and towards Amy's house where, apparently, everyone was now. Knuckles burst in, drenched once again. Rouge avoided his deep glare as he walked past. Amy glanced at both of them, worried and confused, as she felt the tension rise. Tails ended the waiting by giving Knuckles a towel. As the echidna dried off he noticed Sonic all hooked up,

"Why's Sonic all hooked up?" Knuckles questioned, lighter than before, but still a bit harsh. Tails opened his mouth to explain but, then immediately shut it.

"What?" the echidna snapped at the kitsune. Tails's gaze was averted to Sonic again and he replied,

"Ask who's behind you." Knuckles finally realized Shadow in the door way and gave him a hard glare. Everyone waited for his story but, the hedgehog's lips were drawn together in a straight line.

"Well?" the echidna impatiently questioned.

"I beat him up…" Shadow replied. Knuckles's eyes widened and he tried charging at him. Amy and Tails were the only ones holding him back from destroying the hedgehog that was just inches away.

"Let me at him!!! Argh!!!" Knuckles yelled out. Shadow grunted and smirked at his rashness.

"Why are you even here if you beat him up?!!?" the echidna screamed.

"Well, I wanted to simply see how he his...hmm, did I cause that internal bleeding?" Shadow questioned mockingly, prodding on the echidna's combustion-filled anger. Knuckles growled again, the dark hedgehog was just egging him and his rage on. Finally, Amy stopped Knuckles,

"Stop Knuckles! It won't solve a thing!" Amy screamed at the echidna before hitting him on the head with her Piko-Piko hammer.

"Choose the right fights to fight!" the pink hedgehog followed up. Tails sighed as he let go of Knuckles's arm,

"What a temper…" the kitsune went back to typing on the computer and checking up on Sonic. Shadow sat in the corner of the room watching everyone with his cold eyes again. Rouge felt a pang of sadness in her heart. He was reverting back to his regular self…his quiet self. She bit her lip when he glanced at her. Their eyes locked again. Shadow quickly coughed and averted his eyes down. Amy gave both of them an agitated and annoyed look,

"What's going on here?" she asked, suspicious. Rouge glanced at Amy.

"Huh?" was Rouge's horrible reply. The pink hedgehog sighed,

"You know what I mean, Rouge. It's what's getting Knuckles all worked up and stuff." She waved a stray hand towards the echidna who growled at his pink companion.

"So what gives?" Shadow grunted and glanced at the bat. What did give? Even he was clueless. Something was off with Rouge, and he knew it. She had said that she'd hated him...what more difficulties could there be?

"Uh, if I'm going to tell you, can we talk in private?" the bat quietly suggested. Amy sighed and nodded, apparently it was a girl thing. That was probably the reason the hedgehog had absolutely no indication of what was going on. The two girls walked into a separate room in Amy's house.

"Okay, now spill." the pink friend leaned in closer when Rouge motioned for her to.

"Well, you know that both boys hurt me right?" the bat questioned carefully, not wanting to give so much away in one sitting.

"Yeess?" Amy dragged out. She always loved to hear these kinds of things.

"They both apologized and now I don't know what to do. I don't know whether to forgive Shadow and be with him or visa versa." Rouge held her breath to hear Amy's answer. Unfortunately, all of her information had just poured out. She wanted to see her reaction the pink hedgehog nodded in understanding as she laid back a bit.

"Now I see your point..." she replied understandingly again.

"So...any ideas on what I should do?" Rouge replied eagerly. Amy shook her head and the bat's face fell.

"I can't tell you what to do but, I can give you some advice." Rouge's face brightened up again and she nodded as she leaned in forward this time.

"Go with whom you like the best, there's gotta be someone...isn't there?" Rouge sadly shook her head in response to that. She really didn't know. Her pink companion sighed in response and patted the bat gently.

"I'm serious, you gotta make that choice soon...you never know what'll pop up." Rouge nodded seriously and then bit her lip in worry. There was sense in what Amy had said and a bit of warning as well...it frightened her to think about it. Both girls, nevertheless what they were thinking, got up and went back into the room with everyone. All the guys glanced at them when they entered again, each thinking their own thoughts. Tails was immediately working again on his computer when he saw Sonic cough and his eyes flitted open. Amy screamed in delight and worry as she raced over from Rouge's side, to Sonic's bedside. He glanced around the room with his drowsy eyes and smiled.

"Hey..." he whispered hoarsely. Amy's eyes widened in happiness as she jumped up and down happily. She gazed lovingly into Sonic's eyes as she hugged him hard. Sonic coughed again, his eyes now wide awake and bugging out. Tails quickly replied,

"Amy, no! He's still really weak...Shadow did some damage." Knuckles glared at Shadow, but the dark hedgehog said nothing. Amy reluctantly put the blue hedgehog down and in reaction, his eyes became lazy again.

"It isn't his fault...you know it was mine Tails." Sonic replied quietly again, sleep was beginning to take over his body, he was exhausted. Tails bit his lip as he went back to get more medicine that he had in his bag.

"No hard feelings...eh Shadow?" he questioned, struggling to keep his eyes open. Shadow nodded and replied emotionless,

"No hard feelings..." Sonic held out a hand to shake and Shadow quietly accepted it and shook lightly. He had felt some guilt before but now, it washed away after the shake was finished. Sonic closed his eyes gingerly and before long, he was sleeping. Amy had everyone go home then. She pointed at the clock when Knuckles objected...10 PM. The pink hedgehog would've loved for everyone to stay but, it was getting late. Shadow and Rouge left with no objection. They both reached the door at the same time. Shadow formally let Rouge go first and as she brushed past him, she felt his relief that Sonic was getting better. Maybe it wasn't too late for him to change back again. Silently, they parted, Rouge towards her house, Shadow towards his alleyway. Knuckles grunted; the last to leave. He went home straight down the middle. As he was trudging, he thought about Shadow again, out loud, he reasoned with himself,

"C'mon Knuckles, you don't wanna start anything...but, then again...he is a lying, cheating, girlfriend stealing bastard..." he growled at himself.

"If you were a bit stronger, maybe you could take him down and then, Rouge wouldn't have to worry about him any longer." the sides of his lips pulled down and he kicked a stray pebble.

"Ah, who am I kidding...?"

"Yes. Who are you kidding echidna?" Knuckles stopped in mid-step when he heard the different voice. He whirled around to face a figure in the shadows of a different alleyway. Slowly, the dark figure stepped out and Knuckles' eyes widened. It was the doctor...Dr. Eggman.

"You'll never be able to defeat my grandfather's creation alone...no doubt about that." he replied gingerly. Knuckles growled and got ready to lash out at him. Eggman raised a gloved hand,

"Wait, don't be so rash. I'm proposing a deal." Knuckles drew back and glanced hard at the doctor,

"A deal?" Eggman grinned as he pushed up his glasses,

"Yes, Knuckles..."

AN: I forgot to put that "I DON'T OWN SONIC THE HEDGEHOG OR ANY AFFILIATED CHARACTERS." on some, but please don't penalize me! XP I'm sorry! I'm going to do this every chapter or so. Anyways, The action's already beginning to rise [at least I hope you realized this before too] and it's going to get emotional and stuff so...brace yourselves? lol, I really have nothing better to say, but enjoy reading~! And remember, skimming isn't good with this story, you'll easily get lost. [unless you're a good skimmer...which in that case, keep skimming!]


	9. Confused Emotions

Shadow was walking down the sidewalk. He counted the numbers until they reached…her number. She had left before him and streaked down her road in a fast attempt to get home before he could say anything to her. His feet stopped willingly at the front of the house while his mind contradicted his movements. His sharp eyes caught a glimpse of her running up the stairs. He felt awful and the guilt hit him again and again when he saw the salty tears that swam down the sides of her cheeks. How hopeless he felt…sometimes, the hedgehog didn't know what in the world was wrong with him. Was it embarrassment? Shock? Undefined anger that made him hurt the blue ally? It was clear enough though that the bat was furious with his behavior. Shadow agreed with her fully inside. He was acting just like that overgrown, tomato-colored echidna. No wonder she was hurt. He growled at himself,

"Everything just seems to turn around on me and bite me in the ass…" he grimly told himself. The hedgehog flashed a dark smirk at himself in a puddle, enjoying the only bit of humor throughout the day that amused him. The smirk was immediately reformed into a frown when he saw the kitsune and Amy behind him. They called out his name and finally, Shadow stopped walking away from the annoying others.

"Sonic wanted to really show his true unhappiness about your situation so he asked if there was anything in the world that he could do for you." Tails and Amy breathed out simultaneously. The dark hedgehog shrugged. There were a couple of things, but that was out of Sonic's league…impossible things.

"No…nothing." He replied in a deeper tone of voice than what he had planned. Tails drew back his outreached hand while Amy shot the kitsune a quick, worried glance.

"You absolutely sure about that?" Tails asked again, his young voice breaking the uncomfortable silence that hung in the air. The hedgehog dipped his head slightly and Amy sighed as her eyes now showed a more…defeated look. Tails nodded, a little hesitant to leave, as if Shadow would change his mind any second. They both turned around slowly and headed back more quickly when they remembered the unattended patient at hand. Shadow watched them dash off and was relieved from his distress for a bit. Rouge had been peeking through her lavender curtains, glancing at the seen, figuring mentally what they might be saying. Shadow flashed his quick eyes in her direction as they seemed to shoot themselves into her own eyes…bright with tears. She uttered a small gasp as she quickly sunk below the window, hoping that he didn't see her. The dark hedgehog made no indication that he had seen her though so she relaxed. He had his arms folded and seemed to be staring after Amy and Tails with this somewhat sharp look. The dark hedgehog stood there for quite some time that Rouge began to think he was dozing off while standing. He was conscious though of his surroundings. The bat quickly remembered about a certain club she had to run and whipped on a raincoat. Quietly, she slipped out her back door and began running. She angrily told her feet to hurry themselves but they were exhausted from today. Flying was out of the question as well, her wings would fail on her in the air and she would soon plummet to the ground. Her legs ached and the wind whipped rain into her face as she scurried down the dark streets. Rouge skidded to a quick stop and made a sharp dash for the stairs up into her changing room above the noise and party. She quickly stripped herself of her clothes and replaced them with drier replacements. While grabbing a warm towel and dabbing her face slightly, she gave herself time to thing about today. She had proven her point that she was furious at both boys and that was all that really mattered to her right now. Never did she want to speak with them again…they were just rude, back-stabbing, heartless people. She winced at the choice of her words but didn't regret the truth. All night, she sat on a wooden stool. Once and a while she would stop a scuffle or a little problem but it gave her no excitement. It was almost as if she had no more life inside of her. Disgusted with herself, Rouge folded her arms and rested her head on them. She angrily told herself it was all because of her own ways that she was this miserable but a little voice inside her head told her that she just missed Shadow a bit. The bat pouted and glanced towards the thick door that separated her from the cold, rainy outside. Half of her wanted Shadow to come walking through that door to attend his job for today…and half really wanted him to stay back. Nevertheless, half of her was satisfied. Shadow hadn't come…it had been obvious, but Rouge was still allowed to hope. She spent a couple of minutes shooing out late-night drinkers and putting things back in their right places. Surprisingly, the other half of herself was relieved for a minute when she saw Shadow's crimson eyes glance at her from the doorway. Late…was her only thought. The dark hedgehog stuck his head in as his eyes flitted to every corner of the room to see if everyone truly had left before he stepped inside. The bat's eyes immediately dropped to avoid his gaze. She pretended to be preoccupied as she rubbed a glass cup clean. Shadow broke the silence with his deep voice,

"I guess I'm late." Shadow caught himself. He had almost said sorry again…that would've really annoyed the bat more than he could imagine. Rouge glanced up for a second and realized how close Shadow suddenly was. The glass cup nearly slipped out her gloved hands. He realized her surprise as to his closeness to her, so he stepped back a bit.

"A little…" she replied softly as she hung up her rag. The bat brushed past Shadow and grabbed her coat to leave. She could almost feel the hedgehog's sigh of annoyance as she stepped outside into the freezing rain. The door swung shut leaving the hedgehog inside…alone. He sunk down into a wooden stool and put his clasped hands in front of his emotionless façade. Slowly, his eyes shut themselves and he was left alone to think. It seemed hopeless to come in the first place. He made a quick motion to get up and chase after her, but decided to wait a bit and his hand dropped. The bat was a slow walker, but it proved helpful at times. She could have more time to just let go of things that were on her mind. Shadow and Knuckles were a particularly sticky subject though. The rain slid down her hood and she shivered a bit as it touched her warm skin. She quickened her pace and splashed through puddles. The bat made a face every time the dirty water splashed up, but she held her tongue. She slipped on a slick part of the sidewalk and fell back, hitting the ground. Shadow was no longer around to protect her…she wistfully thought. The bat bit her lip in pain as she got up. Her lips pulled down into a frown as she rubbed her back. Determinedly though, she pushed forward with a hopeful, quick glance behind to see if Shadow was possibly following. The road was ominously black and hard to see though. As she turned, his eyes flashed open and softened as he saw her in pain. That was all that was visible of the hedgehog, the rest of his body was intangible. Rouge rested a bit against a wet lamppost to her right, unknowingly. Breathing a little heavily, she winced as her back shot pain through her body and exhaled slowly. Inwardly, she barked at herself to get up. Her legs seemed to give away as she held the post and she steadied herself. Shadow shook his head silently only a couple feet away. She limped her way slowly to her home. It hurt Shadow inside to watch her struggle though, when she was hurt he was as well. It was a stupid connection, but it kind of helped him tune in to what she was doing at the moment. That was what Knuckles couldn't take away, he supposed. The echidna wouldn't understand that with his brash mind…the hedgehog realized that he could step up a bit and silently followed in the dark, being very wary of the lampposts that appeared every once and a while. No wonder his name was Shadow…he froze in place when she whirled around, suddenly very careful. Rouge almost heard him walk; he cursed his loud, metal shoes inwardly as she gave a last glance behind and kept walking. He felt a little weird, almost like a stalker. He made a face and kept going. The rain was really pouring down now, and both were drenched in the tears from the sky. The bat was finally at her front door when lightning struck. It lit up the roads and for a second, it felt like a movie. A fantasy. Shadow spun and hid behind a tree. Rouge paid no attention, even if did she see, and hung up her coat inside. She hugged herself, warming her freezing frame, and sitting on the edge of the windowsill in her room. Shadow shot his crimson eyes in Rouge's direction as she thought about how rainy it was nowadays. How fitting, she thought ironically. The dark hedgehog wasn't at any calmer mind. His thoughts were rampaging his mind. He talked to himself,

"Just go in, and ask…ask about how she is…or something." He clenched his teeth angrily. He had decided to go into her home and get it over with. He couldn't deal with the stress and unhappiness. Might as well just find out what the problem is and try to solve it. No words were passed between the two anymore and he hated having to try to figure out her mind. Suddenly, he heard a crash and a scream. He saw the window broken on the top floor, he first thought of it as a burglar. Now, there was no choice, but to act upon the situation. How could he have missed that? He burst through the front door and clambered up the steps. He saw the echidna…he had knocked out Rouge, which a bit surprising. That echidna was changing his tactics everyday. Shadow glared at him and Knuckles finally spoke,

"Now that you're here, let's finish what we began." Shadow sighed; he was talking about fighting again. Obviously, his rock hard brain didn't get anything. Rouge made him worry a bit though, who knows, he could turn into a pure white hedgehog because of all of this unneeded worry.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt her anymore." Knuckles laughed meanly at Shadow. How amusing…the hedgehog thought. Knuckles began barraging Shadow with attacks, paying no mind to anything else. The echidna just seemed like he wanted the hedgehog's blood, very out of character, he made a mental note of that. Shadow dodged them and turned into a ball, confusing the dull echidna. Quickly, he shot himself toward Knuckles, barreling him through the wall and out into the street. Knuckles slowly got up and wiped the blood from his mouth that was dribbling out. He yelled and flung himself forward. Shadow, though, was too sophisticated in his fighting for him to land a hit right now. Knuckles' mind was too wild and if it were more focused, it would've possibly been a more evened out battle. The echidna just kept getting flung into dirt and pavement so, he stopped.

"Giving up, echidna?" Shadow asked, it was the most fun he had had all day.

"No…going to get someone who will help me." Knuckles replied. The echidna had insisted on taking on the hedgehog first to balance out his choices, now it was pretty clear to him. Shadow thought about what he was talking about, shrugged inwardly and let the echidna escape his grasp. Rouge had almost vanished out of his priorities, so he brought himself back to the situation. Dashing back up to her room, there she was still, lying still. He felt her pulse, it was still beating strong. She always pulled through. He thanked whoever was the boss of these kinds of things and picked her up gently. Carrying her through the dark streets he stopped at that same lamppost. He thought of bringing her to his place, but that was quickly eliminated as an idea, he lived in a cardboard box. Going to any of Knuckles friends would be bad too; who would want to strain relationships? This always happened…nothing was ever planned out because of these things. These sudden changes were always part of him; it was new to Rouge though. He a twang of guilt again and he twitched. Promising Rouge silently he would protect her even if she did hate the living daylights out of him, he ran off to the only sane place to him…that same park where their feelings first truly clashed. His crimson eyes were filled with certainty now; he was going to win his mental fight of right and wrong. Stopping by the brook, he placed her down gently. Her face was smoothed out and gentle, like she was having a wonderful dream instead of being in the middle of a crisis. At least she wasn't screaming and flailing her arms about, Shadow thought. Placing himself next to her, he waited for the morning sun to rise…so he could find out what that echidna wanted now. The moon was full behind the rainy clouds that were starting to part bit by bit, like a new beginning of something beautiful. Too bad the moon wasn't his life. Shadow grunted to himself as he glanced up at the otherworldly light. He had a pretty good feeling that this was going to end a little harshly on somebody's side. Better his side though, he didn't want to put anyone else in danger because of that wayward Knuckles. Exhausted, Shadow splashed a little bit of the water in the brook on his face. It was cool and refreshing, like different water than the one that had crashed down on him earlier tonight. He glanced over at Rouge and finally relaxed a little as he lay back and glanced up at the stars, forgetting that he had someone next to him. Shooting stars flashed by, trying to spread hope for everyone in the sky. The hedgehog closed his eyes slowly and his breathing began to slow a bit as he rested…

AN: Again [and again, and again...] I DO NOT OWN SONIC THE HEDGEHOG AND ANY AFFILIATED CHARACTERS. Are you keeping up with my super long chapters? Sorry for making you guys suffer. XD HANG IN THERE, WE'RE ALMOST TO THE END. [if that's what you want...]


	10. Questions and the Ring

Rouge awoke slowly; her sapphire eyes flitted as they took in the moonbeams. She stretched and pulled herself up, grimacing as her head throbbed. Holding her head, she tired to focus on where she was. Glancing around, she saw Shadow sitting next to her, a little out of it but conscious enough. She jumped up in surprise and fell backwards into the freezing brook. Shadow's eyes snapped open; she'd awoken more quickly than he had planned. She was doused in water while trying to take pieces of drenched fur out of her eyes. The little splash had made her utter a small scream and she had every reason to. The cold water that had met her skin was chilling her to the bone. Why was Shadow here? That was a question that was left unanswered in her mind. Her eyes didn't meet the hedgehog's but, she did look around. It looked like the park. What had happened? She shut her eyes and tried to remember scenes. The dark hedgehog smiled and laughed a bit inwardly. So much for the bat's seemingly perfect outside. She seemed a little shook up but; her outlook was probably the last thing on her mind at that moment. She flapped out the water from her wings and Shadow then gave an outreached hand towards her. Rouge hesitated but, reluctantly took a hold of his helping hand and he lifted her upright. They let go of the other person's hand a bit awkwardly. The bat kept her comfortable distance and placed herself on the dewy grass. She smoothed out her matted fur and hugged her knees. There was a silence and Rouge shifted a bit in the quiet. Shadow waited patiently for her to say something. He wasn't expecting a "thank you" right now but, a "hi" would be acceptable right about now. At a loss of words, the bat replied quietly,

"Hey." Shadow lifted a hand to reply to the greeting and then let it drop back on the grass.

"Why am I here?" she quickly questioned before the loud silence began again. Shadow raised an eyebrow; she obviously didn't remember anything…how unfortunate. He opened his mouth as if to speak but then shut it. Her reaction to the word "Knuckles" could trigger off something, but he decided to wait and unravel some other mysteries right now.

"You looked like a scary person for a second." She sheepishly looked away and hugged her knees. Shadow was fine with that, after all, he was a dark figure sitting next to her…what more could he expect? She was providing 99.99% of their conversation so he decided to speak up a bit,

"Oh, really…" trying to sound amused. She seemed to take that a little bit as an offense but kept quiet. There was no edge in his voice. Determined to work his way up to a couple of questions, he spoke again,

"How are you feeling?" Rouge glanced at the grass and replied carefully,

"Fine, just a little wet and still surprised." He nodded. It wasn't getting him anywhere but, it felt nice to talk to somebody again instead of himself all the time. She wiped her face from droplets of water and stray streaks of makeup only leaving her true face…which wasn't that bad to the hedgehog. He tried to get a real conversation happening again,

"Does your head hurt?" she rubbed her forehead and nodded,

"Yea, how'd you know?" the hedgehog shrugged.

"You…" he was going to mention Knuckles again…damn, he wasn't good at this stuff.

"You what?" she replied, a bit interested.

"You look like you're in a lot of pain because of your head…" he replied.

"Oh, I hope I'm not being too annoying…" Rouge took the time to shoot an attack at him. The hedgehog ran a hand through his fur and shook his head.

"No…" He decided not to bother her, but the bat didn't stop.

"That's good…well, I guess I should leave before I do eventually become too much…I'm really clumsy I suppose." She got up to leave but, this time Shadow acted.

"No, stay."

"Why?" she replied. It was a sudden request.

"I need to ask you a couple of questions." He responded in a level headed voice so Rouge sat down. She was a little reluctant to do something like this now…she was still a little mad at Shadow. Why in the world should she listen to him? She was under no obligation to but…

"Fine…go." She was so pathetic sometimes…

"Do you still hate me?" she narrowed her eyes at the voiced question.

"Hey, I get to ask you a couple of questions later then, mister." Shadow nodded and waited for her answer.

"Um…a little to tell you the truth…but I guess I shouldn't care what you think of me." The dark hedgehog glanced away in a bit of shame.

"Okay, next question then." Rouge prodded him on.

"Do you really think everything I said in Sonic's house was true?" It didn't take the bat long to reply to that.

"Yes." She sounded so sure that it hurt him a bit.

"So you think that I helped you for no good reason?" Rouge paused for a moment. That was a good question to ask on Shadow's part. She glanced at him,

"I wonder if there's a real reason…" maybe she had thought a little bit too quickly. The hedgehog was going to question her again but, Rouge stopped him with a raised hand.

"That was three questions." Shadow gave a surprised look.

"We never agreed on a limit on questions…"

"Well, I want to ask some questions too. When I'm done with my three you can ask more if you still have any." Shadow shook his head, she was so independent.

"Okay…fine then." He waited for her sharp questions to hit himself this time. Rouge gave a little smile of triumph but, immediately began her attack on him.

"Why do you hide everything from everyone?" He had more secrets to uncover…it was so easy to hit him in a good spot. The hedgehog seemed to wince. He paused, but the bat was determined to get an answer from him.

"Hey, I answered all of your questions!" she replied.

"I know…I know…" he sighed. Shadow gave this troubled look at the ground but answered,

"I don't think that anyone'll ever understand me. I want to prevent myself from getting hurt. Haven't you noticed?" Rouge glanced over at the obviously hurt Shadow. It was probably very difficult losing Maria. That incident still had an effect on the hedgehog's outlook on the world. People must seem so cruel to him. His loss was something she could never fully understand, but she could feel some sympathy for him. What could Maria have been like that left such an impression on Shadow? Rouge wondered. She waved that question out of her head. That was a detail, she could ask that later. Shadow prepared himself for the next question anyways.

"Okay then, did you mean anything you said in Sonic's house?" The hedgehog shook his head.

"Absolutely not." He evenly replied back. Rouge's expression softened a bit. It cleared up some of the conflict in between them and the reaction was amazing. It was almost like a giant weight had been lifted off of her. Funny…she thought, he does everything out of…fear…Shadow realized her lack of response and his eyebrows furrowed,

"Was that a wrong answer?" she shook her head quickly and waved her hands defensively.

"No, no, no, of course not! I was thinking of the next question." The hedgehog nodded and waited. Rouge exhaled slowly and glanced over at Shadow. He was paying no mind to anything right now; his focus was strictly set on the stars above them. Did it remind him of good times in the ARK with Maria? Rouge felt a little sheepish now…he had so much on his plate, yet she was complaining about a simple problem that she was fighting with right now. He looked very relaxed and the stress that both of them had felt disappeared into the air. The bat then remembered her last question,

"Oh, and um, for my last question…" Shadow's ears perked up and he turned towards her.

"Yes?" she fidgeted and took a deep breath in…this question would finally break the ice,

"Do…do you…" she couldn't bring herself to do it. Carefully, the white bat chose a different word than her original choice,

"Do you hate me?" The dark hedgehog gave her a look,

"Hate you for what?"

"Hate me for acting so childish…you have many more worries and I'm just troubling you." Shadow eyes broke away and he began glancing around in silence. She hated when he did that though…when he did that, there was absolutely no way she could possibly read his expression.

"No…I don't." Rouge nodded slowly. That didn't really answer her true question but, it was good enough. Goodness knows though, she should be Rouge the chicken instead of a bat. She opened her mouth to eagerly question Shadow again. There was so much she wanted to know…unfortunately her turn was up and the sleek hedgehog merely smirked and held up his own hand.

"My turn…three questions, remember?" It hit her and she began to feel a little embarrassed,

"Oh, yea, go ahead then." Shadow then gave his own little triumphant grin.

"Thank you." She shrugged and waited for him to ask her some questions.

"Okay, do you think I'm a spoiled, troubled, too depressed for his own good hedgehog?" the bat gave a shocked expression. When had anyone said things like that about themselves? Had her questions really done a number on him?

"No, I don't think so. I think it's normal for you to feel that way…if you think about your past at least." Shadow nodded understandingly, she wasn't that mad at him then…

"Next then, do you really love Knuckles?" Rouge growled this time.

"Yes...and no…"

"Why do you love him and not love him at the same time?" the bat sighed and twirled a piece of pure white fur in her fingers,

"Well, he acts really…mean sometimes and he can't control himself. But, he really cares at times. There, you happy?" Shadow smirked. Rouge then acted quickly,

"Well, since you don't hate me, what do you think of me?" The hedgehog raised an eyebrow, what was she getting at?

"I think…you are a good friend." The bat colored very slightly, so slightly that Shadow didn't even catch it.

"Wow…thanks." She replied.

"Even though I said I hated you and everything?" Shadow nodded,

"How am I supposed to hate the person that actually listens to me? I help you with your klutziness and you in return give me somebody I can trust…a little." The bat gave him an unsure look, was he telling the truth? Was he insinuating the fact that they both seemed to need each other?

"Believe me, I'm pretty sure you'd be dead by now if I didn't save you on a daily basis, and I'd probably still be withdrawn and have eventually gone crazy if I didn't have any fun in my life." It was then Rouge's turn to turn away and she felt embarrassed.

"So…thank you, I suppose." There was another silence. His crimson eyes seemed to see right through her as he read her mind,

"Yes, I'm serious." He gave this look that told Rouge that he was definitely not joking. She'd been with him on and off, whether for Eggman or on Sonic's side.

"Oh…okay." She then became silent and Shadow had nothing else to say. They both had their eyes turned away from each other. Rouge finally voiced something,

"Your turn." The hedgehog's expression shifted and he nodded,

"If you had to choose your happy ending what would that be?" Rouge felt her stomach leap inside her, a nervous feeling swept throughout her.

"Uh, one where I could be stress-free and be happy." Shadow studied the ground and nodded, deep in thought,

"Fine…" Shadow asked a question that would now stump Rouge for a bit,

"Why was Knuckles in your room?" She gave a bewildered look,

"He was in my room? When?" She caught herself when she realized that it was still Shadow's turn but, he answered her. It was okay with him,

"He was in your room and had you knocked out." Rouge's eyes widened and memories began to flood her mind,

"Oh…yea, that." She mumbled. It was something that was a little odd to her now but, she figured it was nothing.

"So, tell me…" Shadow was persistent to know why that echidna was in her room

"Knuckles burst into my room when I came back upstairs from my club. He started acting really weird; he kept saying that it was your fault that I hated him…" She quietly explained. Shadow's eyes lit up for a moment. Rouge fidgeted and started up again,

"I tried to tell him that it was his fault and I chose to leave but, he wouldn't listen. He said that he'd be the prince to whisk me away from all my troubles and that there were things that he didn't want happening and that he wanted me to tell you to…like, go away." She whispered. Shadow nodded and responded,

"But, he didn't." the white bat nodded and continued,

"No, I refused because I didn't think that that was the right way to do anything. He got really mad and he took my and slammed me to the ground." From the corner of Rouge's eye, she saw Shadow grunt and look a bit agitated.

"He knocked me out and the last thing I heard him say was that he would do anything for me even if I didn't know that it was good for me." She gulped the large lump that had now formed in her throat and glanced away from the hedgehog.

"I guess he must really care and want to be with you again." Shadow almost snapped but, he kept his voice at a soft level. Her mind was uneasy as she thought about his reaction to Knuckles.

"Okay then, my last question." He replied, breaking the stillness. She nodded and waited,

"Do you love me then?" his eyes bore holes into her. Rouge gave a surprised look while Shadow's was truly serious. She played with her fingers and glanced away from the hedgehog.

"Well?" Shadow prodded her on. Unfortunately, he couldn't control his desire to know things right there and then. He really wanted to know if all of this time spent together was worth it. She fidgeted, as he tilted his head a bit to get a better look at her face. Rouge sighed and shrugged,

"I guess I must do…" she finally turned to face the hedgehog and their eyes clashed. He read her whole expression; it was full of relief and final peace. They awkwardly looked at each other until finally Shadow broke away.

"You do?" he carefully questioned. Rouge nodded behind his back and replied a little more confidently now,

"Yes." Her answer floated in the air. Shadow got up abruptly and turned towards Rouge. The bat scrambled to stand up as well and had a curious look on her face,

"Well, then. That sets my priorities. I'm leaving now." He turned to leave but stopped when she tapped his shoulder.

"No, wait a minute, where are you going?"

"Going to set things right with you and Knuckles." Rouge gasped,

"What are you doing Shadow the hedgehog?" He smirked and shook his head,

"Not what you think…" she gave Shadow a look and questioned him,

"Then what are you doing?" The dark hedgehog paused before answering her,

"I'm going to go to Knuckles and ask for his forgiveness…I will do as he says, I will leave you alone." Rouge searched his face for the reason but, found none,

"What the hell!? You can't do that!" she screamed. Shadow shushed her and replied,

"You said you loved me right?" she nodded.

"I love you too and right now I have to try to steer Knuckles straight for you…no matter what it takes." Rouge gasped and gave the dark hedgehog a bewildered look,

"You…you love me?" He looked deeply into her sapphire eyes and nodded,

"Yes, so I am doing this for someone I love. I'm a shadow, you are my sun, and I thank you for bringing me out to face what I need to…now I have to help you." Rouge was speechless.

"Wasn't it obvious? You are the closest thing to heaven that I have right now and I'm not about to lose someone else by standing by. I'm going to take my own action." The bat shook her head and trembled.

"He'll kill you!" Shadow smirked,

"So be it then, I don't lose as much as you would if Knuckles got his hands on you again." Tremors shook her body even more and tears began to flow.

"Don't cry…I will give you your happy ending."

"What about yours!?" she managed to choke out through the few tears that fell. He wiped away her tears and gave her a tired look,

"You've provided enough for me, please, let me go." She shut her eyes and struggled to level her breathing. Shadow, seeing her distress, touched her lips with his own. It was another electric adrenaline rush. They stood there holding each other in the moonlight, taking in what little they would have from that point on. Rouge sadly kissed him through her tears. He warmed her up again from the chill of the brook earlier. They both did what their last minute instincts kicked them into doing. Finally, Shadow pulled away and hugged Rouge one last time. He wasn't about to cry, but inside, he was still a little sad…the bat bit her lip as the dark hedgehog kissed her lightly on the cheek and slipped something into her gloved hand. Before she had the chance to ask him what it was, he dashed off, a black streak in the middle of the warm night. She opened her hand and saw a sapphire ring. Engraved on the inside, were the words "I love you." Absolutely unhappy, she clutched the ring and her eyes squeezed out more tears. She called out for Shadow in the distance,

"SHADOW!!! I love you too!" she finally let herself sob. Through her tears, she managed to let herself fly her way to Amy's…somewhere where she could cry and have friends around her. She was utterly angry at herself for not showing her own true feelings earlier. Anger, sadness, regret...feelings swirled around her head. The bat cried hard as she flew across the midnight sky, past the quiet moon and clouds. It was almost unreal. It was so hard to grasp…it was finally true though…Shadow the hedgehog was gone…

AN: I DO NOT OWN SONIC THE HEDGEHOG AND ANY AFFILIATED CHARACTERS. [did I copy and paste yet? nope...:)...will I stop complaining? uh...XD]


	11. Twin Tailed Assistance

Shadow went quickly to Knuckles' house. Half of him was absolutely furious…how could he just leave the person who just said that they loved him? The other half completely agreed with his decision; it was time to set things right with the irritating echidna. Why should so many people be stressed out over a simple problem? It could be easily fixed. To tell himself the truth, it wasn't hard giving something up for the bat. He probably would seem selfish and…uncaring the way he saw it. Leaving Rouge was hard but, he wasn't about to become selfish. He was willing to give up anything for her and this was nothing compared to their undying love. Funny though, was this the same Shadow that refused to give up anything when he had it? Inwardly, the hedgehog sighed…he could be such a fickle. The lights that lit up the mysterious streets streaked past his vision. Suddenly very anxious, he threw a quick glance back to see if Rouge was following but, was thankfully relieved when he saw no bat…and heard no flapping of wings behind him. She was safe, that was good. He wasn't in the mood to deal with her stubbornness right now. Shadow zoomed down the roadways and hugged each turn that popped up, almost as if he was in a race for his life. His shoes helped a lot in times like these; they supported him perfectly and acted like hovercrafts, carrying him in his direction of choice. His eyes flashed towards his cardboard boxes as he whipped past. The hedgehog immediately screeched to a stop, his shoes screaming against the pavement. Regular shoes would've burnt up in the heat of the run, but they would've ripped to shreds after that stop. Nice metal shoes…Shadow thought. His hands swiftly searched his cardboard boxes for the money Rouge had given to him before, it wasn't completely necessary for this mission, but you could never be to sure. He found the couple of twenty dollar bills and clutched them tightly. His blood-red eyes studied her handwriting in the letter that was previously attached to the gift package. She had wrote, "Here Shadow, for all your troubles. May this take off some burdens. –Rouge". Nice of her. Nevertheless, his shoes began moving at amazing speeds once again as he set off for Knuckles. The sides of Shadow's lips pulled down, why did he have to live so far away? Normally, he would've reached his home by now…if only that echidna didn't, virtually, live on the opposite side of town. It was so silent on the streets that it felt a bit eerie as the houses swung past. His heart was already heavy…this just made him more depressed. His mind tried to find a lighter mood to cling on to but found none. The only image that kept popping up was Rouge's, her distressed expression; tears streaming down the sides of her cheeks and everything. More guilt…another frown crept up on the quiet hedgehog's straight face. Whether he did something good or bad there was some sort of guilt forming, lovely. Shadow smirked and shook his head. Obviously, he could never be pleased. The cold night blew a freezing breeze the determined hedgehog's way; almost as if it was attempting to stop him in the slightest form it could. His fur ruffled itself a bit, but it was fine. Shadow passed by Rouge's club and memories slipped their way back into his mind. That was where their first, unsuccessful, encounter was held. The first successful encounter was held at the park. There, Shadow realized that their feelings weren't too different and that everyone was sad at a point. He wasn't the only one who had troubles; who was stressed all the time. The neon lights that lit up the front of the club were shut off though. No color was sprayed. The hedgehog began to feel a bit wary of time and managed to read the time on the large clock in the center of town. 2:00 AM. Surprisingly, he wasn't the least bit tired. That was a bit of a stress lifted off, he didn't have to worry about "falling asleep" while running. Shadow quickly zipped by Amy's home. The lights were dimmed but, somebody else was home other than Amy. The hedgehog squinted and managed to make out Sonic and Tails. Of course, the blue hedgehog hadn't totally healed himself yet. Poor Tails, he was still up. Dark circles surrounded his tired eyes. Nevertheless, the hard-working kitsune was typing at high speeds. Sonic seemed to breathe normally and Amy was quietly sitting in a posh armchair. Amazingly, the hedgehog hadn't even stopped running…he had saw it all in, practically, a hundredth of a second. He burst into Knuckles' home and saw a note on his table. Checking the area thoroughly, he confirmed that he was gone and read the note,

"I'm off to Eggman. Visit me…would you Shadow?" he read aloud. Crushing the incompetent piece of paper he thought of where Eggman could be. The only person that would know would be Sonic. Sonic was injured though; how could he lie to Tails and Amy? Usually, people didn't see through the shifty hedgehog, but you could never be too sure. He hated to say it, but Sonic was a much needed book of information right about now. He gritted his teeth angrily at the absence of Knuckles and his hands clenched into fists. There was no use being mad that Knuckles had to be "out of town" though. Relaxing, he whizzed off to Amy's house once again…he had a mission…a mission to return everything back to normal. There's no way someone of his style could stop right now. He was going to get it done **now**. After all, he was the ultimate life-form; he was made that way…a pure perfectionist. He reached Amy's home quickly; that was a relief to the hedgehog. He couldn't stand his mind tampering with his thoughts any longer. They gave the unsure hedgehog an urge to just return to Rouge and fight it out with the echidna; that never worked though. Never would he choose violence to protect someone. After his experience with Maria…that was a definite "no". Besides, why attack first when your opponent will attack you soon? Shadow pondered his own question and found some sense in it. The "deep in thought" hedgehog finally realized that he'd been standing right in front of Amy's door the whole time. He raised a hand to rap on the door but, then he dropped it. Shadow frowned and closed his eyes. He tried again and finally got the courage to lie to his companions. Sonic had been sleeping peacefully, but when he heard the rapping he was awoken by the discordant noise. Tails kept Sonic down and quietly spoke,

"Keep lying down Sonic, I'll take care of whoever is at the door." Sonic nodded and glanced at Amy. She'd fallen asleep. He frowned and sighed. The azure hedgehog felt so helpless; he was the fastest thing with feet, and here he was…broken and bruised. Tails opened the door and groggily slurred,

"Whazzat? Who's there?" When the kitsune had opened up the door, he had realized what time it was by the sky…the fatigue began to hit him hard. Shadow woke him up by jostling him a bit and snapping his fingers in front of the eight-year-old's eyes.

"Ugh, oh…hi, Shadow. What do you need?" Tails replied, a little more alert. Shadow replied,

"I just wanted to come in and see what's going on."

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Thankfully, the quick hedgehog's mind kicked in,

"Couldn't sleep." Tails nodded; he was still too tired to question the hedgehog. More good luck. He could've been found out if he was more awake.

"Okay then." Tails then stifled a yawn. Shadow sighed and stepped into the home. His eyes caught Sonic struggling to sit up, first thing. Tails quickly rushed over to Sonic's side and assured him that it was okay and that Shadow was just visiting. The blue hedgehog nodded and gave a funny looking grin to the dark hedgehog,

"Hey, Shadow…" Shadow made a slight movement with his hand and then was silent.

"Well, do you need anything?" Tails questioned the quiet hedgehog. Shadow then remembered his mission and nodded,

"Um, yes. I want to know where Eggman's hideout is and if you can bring me there." Shadow's face was surprisingly serious as questioned the both people,

"Where's Eggman's hideout?" Sonic's eyes opened up slightly.

"Why does it concern you?" Tails asked Shadow. He didn't mean to sound nosy, but he had Sonic to take care of. Which was more important? Shadow didn't have the time to explain, so he just angrily replied,

"Does it matter?"

"Yes, because I have to take care of Sonic, Shadow!" Tails replied in a slightly louder tone. Shadow saw the kitsune's point and his plan was immediately foiled…there must be some way…

"Sonic, are you up to walking again?" Shadow questioned suddenly. Tails gave both boys a bewildered expression, but Sonic nodded eagerly.

"Hell yea, that's what I'm talking about!" he yelled. Tails shushed him and pointed to Amy, as she shifted her body. Sonic grinned sheepishly but, on the serious note, he was definitely in on going anywhere. Tails was completely against the idea of Sonic moving though,

"No, it is totally out of the question! You are physically not ready to move anything!" Shadow was surprised at Tails' sudden harsh voice. Sonic was his best friend…maybe it was that fact.

"Geez, I'm sorry!" Sonic defensively put up his hands. Of course, he wasn't totally stupid. He was taking a giant risk, but he wasn't called Sonic the hedgehog for no good reason. Sonic arose from his bed and hopped onto his own two feet. He smiled triumphantly and put an arm around Shadow,

"Don't worry; I'm here for you buddy." This time, Shadow didn't contradict the blue friend; for now…everything was fine. Tails shook his head and gave in. That's how hedgehogs' minds worked…totally arrogant and set. Shadow, Sonic, and Amy were all alike…

"Fine, he's located in a desert…but, the only way you'd be able to get there is my X-Tornado…and I'm not taking you guys there!" Things weren't going Shadow's way…he thought of a smart idea.

"No, that's okay; we'll just run a couple of hundred miles…hope your body's ready for the trip." Sonic grinned and caught onto the dark hedgehog's plan. Tails gaped at the two friends and shook his head.

"You wouldn't…"

"I mean what I say Miles Tails Prowler…" Shadow replied sharply. Tails' face twisted itself into a defeated sort of look before rubbing the back of his head slowly. Sonic waited for Tails' "okay" patiently. Finally, the kitsune let out a big breath and nodded,

"All right; to Eggman boys…" He sighed. Tails opened up the door and Shadow stepped outside with Sonic walking triumphantly behind. The beaten kitsune carefully shut the door and locked it. Shadow and Sonic were already starting towards his home. Tails followed helplessly. Nobody ever listened to the eight-year-old. His house wasn't far from Amy's, so that was another relief. When they reached Tails' place, the kitsune slipped past the two hedgehogs.

"Okay, some rules…" Sonic groaned before Tails could finish. The kitsune squinted angrily but continued.

"We're just dropping you off Shadow, and this is final. Sonic, you are not going anywhere with Shadow." Sonic groaned again, even louder this time, and tapped his foot, annoyed. The dark hedgehog shrugged and nodded. That was what he was hoping for; this way, they wouldn't find out his true reason for wanting to go. Everyone strapped themselves into a seat and got themselves ready to lift-off. Sonic pouted, but was satisfied with what he got. Tails began flipping random switches and revving up the airplane,

"Hang on guys!" the kitsune called out as the plane drifted out into the night sky. Sonic screamed joyfully, as he immersed himself in the memories of the plane's movement. The dark hedgehog wasn't completely happy with Sonic's particularly loud reaction, but he could deal with it for a little bit. The moonbeams silhouetted the plane as they swiftly cut across the cool air. A few puffy clouds floated in the air around them and wind blew softly. It was a calm night.

"It'll take a while, but we'll get you there eventually Shadow." Shadow nodded and they flew high above the clouds. The starry sky was calming altogether but, Shadow's mind was set on its task. When they neared the desert, Shadow knew, the dry winds filled with sand slapped themselves against the windows. They began to hear the howling of the wind and grains of sand began to scratch themselves against the outside of the X-Tornado. Tails finally had to land.

"Sorry, Shadow! This is as far as the X-Tornado can go. The hideout is a little ways off on your fast feet!" he commented. Sonic sighed as they began to descend. The harsh winds swirled around the place where Shadow stood. Tails and Sonic waved "good-bye" while clamping their eyes shut to keep out the unwanted sand. Shadow was perfectly fine; the only thing he was uncomfortable with was the sand rubbing around places they shouldn't be. He smoothed out his fur from the sand, as the X-Tornado started up back for home. Sonic and Tails waved again, as Shadow grew smaller and smaller. Soon, the dark hedgehog wasn't visible through the winds. Shadow stopped waving and let his hand drop. He faced towards the middle of nowhere and closed his eyes…

AN: YOU ALL KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS!!!!! It's time to "unclaim" this work. This story is most definitely (c) of me, but SONIC THE HEDGEHOG AND ANY AFFILIATED CHARACTERS ARE NOT COPYRIGHT OF ME. Please and thank you. Hope you're all well and your eyes are bloodshot from reading this much. ;) JUST KIDDING...


	12. To The Tower

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SONIC TEH HEDGEHOGz or ANY OTHER AFFILIATED CHARACTERz. :D I feel like using "z"s today...you guys don't mind, right?

Rouge glanced behind again in hope that the dark hedgehog hadn't really left. All she sought was pure rejection though…he was gone. The bat's bottom lip quivered slightly as she stood up. She had stopped to rest, but was now taking off again. It hurt to be standing around doing nothing. Shadow had absolutely no idea what he had left behind. The poor bat whimpered to herself. She shook her head, as more tears fell to the ground. The wind blew softly and the grass swayed slightly in the breeze. It was fruitless standing around…with nothing else to do; she finally lifted off the ground and took flight in the air. The atmosphere still stayed the same to her though. Getting away from the scene didn't help. A colorless darkness followed her, gnawing on what she had left of her. She slowly traveled across the night sky in mourning. Teardrops fell towards the ground consecutively, as she shook her head again. This wasn't Shadow's job…it was hers all alone. Why did he have to get in the way? Mixed emotions slowed her flight even more. Her heart felt empty; she wanted to throw her life away. Her wings wanted to give out and her mind wanted to plummet to the bottom. There was no more light for her; every last sliver had been swallowed up by her ever growing feeling of loss. Fear blocked her path, sadness shook her off, and anger sent her flying away in different directions. What was she without Shadow? What was she without her only star? The only star that shined brightest in the darkest of times…where the sun couldn't reach and the many helping hands dare not venture. She was lost. It was a simple problem that had grown over time. How could she have been so blind? More feelings of regret and guilt hit. Why couldn't she have just been with Shadow forever? Why did they have to get into a fight? Why did he have to go…? Tears stopped from trickling and began streaming, then pouring. He wasn't just her friend, she didn't just like him…she loved him…just remembering his face as he moved close to kiss her…made it unbearable. Her heavy breaths were displayed in puffs of white, as her body became overcome by the sobs that wracked her. A cold breeze whispered past and chilled her already frosty tears. It froze up the rest of her heart and made her stop. Rouge's wings stopped flapping and began to tumble down. What did it matter now? What more could she do? The air began whistling in her ears telling her to stop…to stop and think. The bat began ignoring the calls of fury until she heard a familiar voice in her head ring.

"What are you doing, Rouge? Don't make me do something for nothing…" her soaked eyelids snapped themselves open. She rapidly pumped her wings; just a couple feet from the ground. Her eyes searched for the holder of the sharp voice. It replied,

"Go home…" Rouge eagerly whipped her head around from side to side, looking for the voice. The bat then stopped and began quivered when she realized it was only her imagination...only the wind calling, only the trees swaying, only her mind wandering. It had been the dark hedgehog's…his voice was so missed already. As of now, he was considered gone to her, gone physically and emotionally. There really was nothing. She let herself go and land on the ground. She glanced up to see where she had taken herself. It was Amy's house. The bat sniffled and wiped a stray tear again. She couldn't even bring herself to talk right now, better yet stand. Her legs gave away and she crumbled to the ground. Her body began shaking uncontrollably, as new tears arose for no apparent reason. Was it the sound of the hedgehog's voice again? Was it the irony in the fact that she was in front of Amy's home once again…her final destination? She had half a mind to turn around and to leave the poor pink hedgehog alone. Another contradiction. The bat clutched her head and struggled to keep from crying out loud. There were too many questions and not enough answers. They were something, and then nothing. They were in love, and then in hatred. Something…something was definitely wrong with her. How could she be so fickle? The moment that he said that he was going…already, her mind was gone. Everything was. The tears slowed until the last drop hit the ground in quiet. Her face became stony and hard. Crying was doing absolutely nothing. She had to find Shadow…she had to, before it was too late and all the words caught up in her mind exploded. Rouge stood up slowly, as her legs wobbled. She turned away from Amy's house and bit her lip. The bat couldn't do it alone though, there was no way. She walked backwards to Amy's front door and then spun around. Her eyes studied the ground, as she rang the doorbell. The peace of the night was abruptly awakened, as Rouge heard Amy grope and stumble through the dark. Lights were flicked on and the patter of feet ran.

"Who's there? Oh…what's wrong?" Amy analyzed Rouge and felt that something wasn't right. The bat bit her lip again, struggling to not cry. She didn't want to be the Rouge that cried her eyes out at Amy's home. She wasn't desperate…she wasn't weak. No way was she going to flail her arms about crying about her petty problems. Cream and Cheese popped up from behind the pink friend with tired looks.

"Oh, hi Rouge!" the bunny replied happily. Rouge smiled weakly and stepped inside. She fell backwards into a chair and rubbed her head. Sensing the tension, Amy quickly spoke,

"I'll go make some tea…" she scurried off towards the kitchen with Cream and Cheese following. The pink hedgehog shooed them off into the room with Rouge. Cream nodded and sat next to the distressed bat.

"Why are you here, Rouge?" the curious six-year-old inquired the tired bat. Rouge sighed and glanced over at Cream. Cheese replied in a confident "chao".

"I have to talk to Amy…" was Rouge's lifeless reply. It was almost as if all the color from her voice and life had been drained away. Cream saw Rouge's unhappiness and immediately tried everything in her little power to cheer her up.

"Oh…well, you can talk after you drink Amy's tea…it's really good!" the bunny flashed a quick smile. Rouge nodded and smiled the best she could, before letting the corners of her lips pull down again. The bat hoped that she didn't seem rude…it was just that she wasn't in the mood for friendly banter. When Cream had smiled, it had reminded her of Shadow's not so often smile/smirk. The memory scratched at Rouge's inside wounds, attempting to open them up again. His face popped up in her mind and she began to tremble a little. Cream gave her a concerned look and replied,

"Are you okay, Rouge?" the bat took a big breath and exhaled slowly. Having her cry in front of Cream would only make her as worried and as sad as she was. Cream relaxed when the tremors stopped and Rouge's face relaxed.

"Yea, I'm fine…" Rouge replied. Her struggle was apparent though. It was inevitable…finally the bat bended over and sobbed quietly. There was a little voice inside Rouge's head telling her how hopeless she was as she cried. That made the tears fall faster and in larger quantities. Cream and Cheese were at her side quickly and they watched her worriedly. Cream and Cheese began to try to comfort the bat.

"Oh, don't cry! It's okay, talk to us after you drink some of Amy's tea!" she replied.

"Everything will be alright, Rouge. Please do not cry!" Cream added to her first statement. The bat was still sobbing while Cheese tried doing silly tricks for Rouge to brighten her up but, nothing worked. Rouge's heart was deeply affected by his last words and the echoed throughout her soul. She couldn't control herself, without Shadow she felt incomplete. So much for the weak commitment she'd made earlier. Finally, Amy quickly rushed in with the hot lemon tea,

"Oh damn…I'm sorry, the instant hot water thing wasn't working… please drink…now." The bat breathed in heavily and drank the tea that the pink hedgehog had thrust to her slowly. She licked her lips and studied her tea cup. Amy earnestly rubbed Rouge's back,

"Now…breathe slowly…" Amy's clear green eyes watched the bat carefully. Rouge obeyed and closed her eyes gingerly. She was afraid to close her eyes…for the possibility that Shadow might pop up again…

"Okay, now what's wrong Rouge?" Amy's question broke up the quiet room. She was always so straight forward…the bat clenched her fingers on her left hand in an attempt to warm them up, as she bit her lip. How could she explain what had happened? She wished they could just read her mind…it hurt to think and talk about the quiet hedgehog.

"Shadow left me…" It was a blunt statement, but it was the only way that Rouge saw fit. Amy, Cream and Cheese looked confused. Rouge saw that had to explain everything, their love, every scene and every word. She took a deep breath and glanced at everyone. They waited patiently as she sunk back into the soft chair.

"We were…friends." Amy gave Rouge an unsure look before replying,

"Were?" The bat nodded slowly.

"Slowly over time we became close…and began to trust each other little by little." Cream's eyes widened while Cheese was speechless. Who knew?

"Eventually, Knuckles…"

"Yea, yea, that stupid echidna…well, go on…" Amy waved a hand, cutting off the unneeded explanation. Rouge sighed and went on,

"He broke into my home and pleaded with me to come with him. He wanted me to get away from Shadow and…" The pink hedgehog cut the bat off again,

"Oh my gawd…" Amy shook her head and then Cream piped up,

"And then what?" Rouge gave a weak smile before letting her head drop. She averted her eyes from the girls.

"Well, he took me to the park…and we sorted things out…" Amy leaned forward,

"There's more though, right?" Rouge nodded again. She wished that Amy would just let her speak, but it was good for her too. It gave her time to think about what to say.

"And…and then…" this part was hard; Rouge could feel the tears coming so she stopped to catch herself. She swallowed the giant lump that had formed in her throat before continuing,

"Then he told me that he was going to set things right with Knuckles…" Amy and Cream drew a sharp breath. They both knew Knuckles' temperament…

"He…he kissed me and then left…" the bunny shivered with amazement as Amy gave an awed expression.

"His last 'gift' was this…" Rouge opened up her clutched hand and revealed the bright azure ring. Amy took it from the shaking bat and fingered it. She read the engraving before flinging her arms around her tear stained friend.

"Aw, Rouge!" the bat cried softly. Cream and Cheese watched sympathetically. They could do nothing. The pink hedgehog pulled away from the hug, slipped the ring back into Rouge's hand, and looked truly amazed,

"Who'd ever thought that he could love?" she questioned. Rouge nodded, biting her lip again to keep her from bursting out in tears.

"Your love is very complicated. Maybe Shadow doesn't know how to make it better except for…"

"Now, he's after Knuckles or something…he's going to let Knuckles do…!" Rouge rudely interrupted but, Amy let her; it was her time.

"Something…" Cream finished. The bunny then sighed,

"But, we don't know where he went!"

"Chao!" replied Cheese sadly. Amy sighed as well,

"At least you have a hedgehog that's persistent in love." Rouge thought deeply about where he could be. He was probably wherever Knuckles was, but she knew that the echidna wasn't himself lately. He could be anywhere…they could be too late. Shadow could already be gone, Knuckles could be gone too…there were too many possibilities. Too many questions, too many emotions, too many possibilities, and too many fears. While they were all in silence, Tails burst in.

"Hey, does anybody know where Cream is? She's not home." He glanced around the room and saw her,

"Oops…never mind!" he laughed sheepishly.

"Where have you been Tails? You're all sandy." Cream inquired.

"Yea, have you gone in a kiddy sandbox?" Amy asked. Tails blushed and replied,

"No! I was busy helping Shadow." All the girls nearly glomped him, as Rouge managed to choke out,

"Where is he?" Tails was bug eyed at the girls' behavior but said,

"I dropped him off at Eggman's hideout because…"

"Argh!" Rouge screamed and sobbed again. There went the only hope she had…

"Knuckles is probably there!" she finished. Tails was utterly confused, so Cream pulled Tails aside explained. Rouge and Amy watched from a distance as emotions ran their way across the young kitsune's face. When Cream was done passing on the story Tails felt guilty and silly.

"I'm sorry! I didn't think…I didn't know…I was taking care of Sonic and…" Amy grew angry,

"Oh, Sonic! He's so stupid sometimes!"

"No, it wasn't his fault Amy! He was here earlier, you were sleeping…he said that he…and then he…but he was…" Tails was at a loss of words.

"Let's go to him then!" Cream proposed.

"This is Rouge's life remember? Let's let her go instead and we'll stay behind." Amy whispered in one of Cream's floppy ear.

"Oh, right!" Cream whispered back.

"I'll take you there myself!" Tails promised. He just had to make up for his horrible decision. What had blurred his reasoning? Was it just the fact that Shadow was quick with words? When Rouge was slow to get up and follow Tails, Amy grabbed the bat's arm roughly,

"C'mon girl! People like that don't come too often in life! Go and get him! This is your chance!" Rouge gave the pink hedgehog a weary look…she had too much pep. Sighing, she stood up next to Tails and nodded. They both traveled towards Tails' home. Amy, Cream and Cheese waved, as they called out cries of hope and encouragement. Rouge glanced back once again and gave an attempt at a sincere wave. Amy pulled Cream inside and the door shut. The little spot of light that was once on the dark pavement had vanished. The white bat inhaled deeply, as she followed the quick kitsune.

"We gotta get there quickly. I just dropped off Shadow…but he's so fast he's probably halfway across the desert by now…" Tails gave a quick chuckle before concentrating on his task at hand. Tails' house arose rapidly; he didn't live too far from Amy. It still had taken a while though. The whole trip was a blur in her mind. The sharp turns and winding road had left Rouge in a daze. Tails made an impressive jump into the cockpit and he motioned for Rouge to come up. She quietly floated up on her wings and sat behind her pilot. The kitsune snapped on his seatbelt and shifted the X-Tornado into gear.

"Get ready!" he called out. The plane revved up and sailed off into the night sky. Rouge glanced outside and saw the moon pass by. Stars twinkled with a bit of hope, and the wind rustled the small trees on the ground. The bat sighed as she thought wistfully of Shadow again. Tails saw Rouge's forlorn expression and quickly began flipping some switches. The outer glass protection pulled back and revealed a relatively cool night breeze. The bat smiled at Tails' smart mind and took in the sweet air, as they rode through. They were coming…whether the dark hedgehog knew it or not…they were. They quickened their flying pace, and zipped deeper into the night sky with everyone's hopes for a good travel riding on their backs. The plane was going to take them far…they were already out of town. It would only be a matter of minutes to reach "Eggman's desert". Rouge just hoped that they wouldn't arrive too late to save one hedgehog's lonely life. Her fur flapped itself in the wind wildly as Tails made a sharp rise. The bat stifled a small gasp and averted her eyes from the outside scene. The kitsune smiled sheepishly,

"Sorry, we have to scale the mountains." Of course, deserts always had to be behind mountains… The trip seemed to have taken only five minutes though. Rouge glanced behind. All she saw was rolling fields, forests and a land in slumber, barely ready to awaken. She whipped around to check the clock on Tails' dashboard. 5:00 AM. The sun was just peeking its head over the horizon, casting its rays across the land. Another sleepless night…how unfortunate. The sleepy eight-year-old took account of the time and held back a yawn. The pilot couldn't be sleepy…that would be disastrous. They cleared the mountains easily and lowered, as the desert was in sight.

"Welcome to Eggman's desert, Rouge…" Tails yawned. The bat gave Tails a worried look, but the kitsune shook it off,

"No, I'm fine. His tower is close by. Last night I couldn't…or actually it was the early morning…ah, whatever." He shook his sleepyhead and pressed forward. Determination drove him; he had to get her to Shadow…it was repayment for his unintelligent thinking earlier. The bat relaxed now and sat back. She glanced out the window longingly. Oh, how she hoped to see the hedgehog safe and sound. The quiet, white bat now rubbed her ring unconsciously. Please, to whoever was in control of this stuff, please…let me find Shadow…Rouge studied her ring and squeezed her eyes shut. Sand danced by the window and away they went…closer and closer to the forgotten hedgehog…

AN: Well, to tell you all the truth, I've actually finished the story completely. I'm just being lazy in uploading everything. ;) Gah, I feel like I'm talking to myself 'cause I only have one review. XD I know there are some silent readers out there though! (I hope...??) Love you all, have a great day. :)


	13. Infiltration and Final Battle

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SONIC THE HEDGEHOG OR ANY OTHER AFFILIATED CHARACTERS. :) Plz and thank you. Although I do own the ideas and plot...yea...all that's mine...sorry...:D

The hedgehog opened his eyes. The harsh winds had stopped blowing and he figured that it would be a good time to set off. He imagined his blue competitor next to him, and shot off like a bullet. Shadow began gliding over the sand at his best and fastest. His feet didn't even reach the ground. His shoes blasted furies of flames that helped him hover. Over in the distance, Shadow saw something. Tails was right; already, a little stick was popping up over the horizon. It was Eggman's tower. The kitsune had gotten him close enough. The doctor was known for his annoying creations, so Shadow expected to see little, fat, egg-shaped…things…coming up to greet him. Immediately, as if they had read the hedgehog's thoughts, Eggman's drones popped up out of the sand and sent beams of red-hot lasers, explosives and more to hit Shadow. The hedgehog took care of them like forgotten toys and kept his constant speed. Bombs exploded behind him, and the small droids were sent flying everywhere. If someone had taken a picture, it would've been sure to be on the front of an action movie. Shadow glanced quickly to his right and saw light. The blazing sun was beginning to rise, and he realized that morning was approaching quickly. The coolness of the night would soon be replaced by the scorching rays of the sun. The desert could be a very dangerous place, so he had to hurry, and he had to fulfill his "death wish". Already, Shadow could feel the warmth of the sun. He leaned forward, making his body more aerodynamic. He neared the large fortress and stopped short in the front. The wary hedgehog had half a mind to kick down the large front door and make a grand entrance, but that was for foolish, flashy people. He had a little more class than that. Slowly, Shadow went around the hideout looking for an alternate entryway. There was a small door on the side. Eggman wasn't the type for security. Easily, Shadow slipped in, and quickly his eyes scanned the surrounding area. This trip was all about stealth. Even though it had kind of been ruined earlier, the determined hedgehog was set on keeping a low profile. Eggman probably knew that he was prowling around his base, so he had to be extra cautious. The hideout was cooler and refreshing. It was a nice change. He stretched out his limbs and gingerly stepped about. Shadow already knew how Eggman constructed his hideouts because of the fact that he was once part of his team. The people he was looking for were at the top of the tower. It was classic Eggman... Now, where were those annoying stairs hiding? There was probably an elevator as well somewhere. Eggman was…not physically fit enough to be able to climb stairs all day long. A little egg shaped maid was just around the corner while Shadow was looking. Shadow's quick, and automatic, instincts launched the hedgehog up to the ceiling. Shadow then held on as tightly as he could to prevent crashing down upon the small robot. That would've been disastrous. More enemies would approach and that would, in itself, serve as an annoying headache. The maid wiped a little picture while Shadow cursed inwardly, praying that it would hurry up. The little egg droid stood back a little and admired its work before finally scurrying off. Shadow exhaled slowly and let himself land silently. Slowly, he peeked around the corner. When Shadow was sure that it was clear, he dashed down the hallway. The air was unsettled, as he stopped at another corner. Something wasn't right. It was too quiet; there were no more droids. All the rooms had been empty and the whole fortress seemed to be in a "shut-down mode". He sneaked past more doorways. No one, empty, deserted. How strange. All of Eggman's little minions couldn't have been cleared out so quickly. He glanced behind just as he turned a corner before immediately regretting that decision. There was at least one robot left behind to greet the lonely hedgehog…and it was big…really big. The giant robot's red-hot laser eyes scanned Shadow as he fell back into a fighting position.

"Confirmed, Shadow the hedgehog." It bleeped out. A rocket launcher popped out of one arm and a large beam sword in another…

"Crap…" the dark hedgehog cursed under his breath as the robot targeted onto him. The big always lumber though. Shadow was much too quick for the robot. Strength was a bit rivaled, but never speed. A rocket whizzed its way towards the hedgehog. Shadow quickly ran behind the robot and gave a hard kick in the back. The robot counteracted with its icy blue sword, flinging him down the hallway. As Shadow hit the ground, his shoes scraped against the metal and his body slid uncomfortably as well. The screeching noise hurt his ears, but the persistent hedgehog stood up. Breathing a little heavily, he ran quickly down the corridor towards the robot again. The mechanical menace shot rockets rapidly at the fast moving opponent. Shadow shifted his body slightly to avoid them. The beam sword came slashing out again, but the hedgehog was smart enough not to make the same mistake. Shadow jumped high into the air and came barreling down in his famous ball shape. The impact knocked the foe down. The robot tried to get back up, but as he was, Shadow flitted behind him.

"Chaos spear!" Shadow called out. The spear was flung and hit the robot square in the back. The hole it left was definite. Little wires sparked and the robot's voice became slurred.

"Initiating self-destruct…" the robot's eyes turned into numbers starting at five. The hedgehog's eyes widened ever so slightly as he whipped into the closest room and slammed the door shut. Outside, he heard quiet beeps. Beep…beep…beep, and then there was a loud explosion. The door was flung open as the heat of the destruction forced its way out. Shadow dodged the door and leaped to the other side of the room. He clamped his eyes shut and turned away from the blast. Soon, it was silent…not a sound could be heard. Shadow let out a long sigh. Perhaps it was better without these troublesome robots clanking around. The hedgehog slid down the wall and sat. He rubbed his shoulders in pain. The robot wasn't too hard to defeat, but that one hit that it got on him was painful. He could feel it all throughout his body. It was like shockwaves of a giant earthquake. His abdomen hurt, but so did the rest of his now aching body. Shadow coughed a little, expecting blood to come…thankfully there was none. It was only because of his particularly parched self. He glanced out of the doorway to see the ruin left behind. The robot had certainly left its mark, the observant hedgehog noted. The area around the explosion was scorched black and pieces of metal, machinery and other unknown materials were scattered across the ground. Slowly, he managed to pull himself up onto his feet. He examined the rocket launcher carefully in his hands. It was too bad that it had been ruined in the explosion. The launcher would've been lots of fun to use. He dropped the piece of equipment and then examined the beam sword. Repeatedly, he tried to press the button to make the light blue sword appear, but nothing happened. That too was broken. All of this was wasted…what excitement there would be if they had worked. The hedgehog grinned, but then his face morphed back into its serious demeanor when he tried to laugh a little. It hurt to laugh too. Task…task; stay on task, replied a little voice inside his head. Conscience…that's what landed me in this mess, the hedgehog frowned. Shadow glanced longingly at the wreck before pushing himself to move along. He shook his head while advancing down the hallway. Eggman knew he was here…there was no hiding it any longer. More robots were sure to come. Shadow had to be extra, **extra** careful. He just _**had**_to ruin everything right now. Such good advice…he rarely followed any of it though. Smirking to himself, the hedgehog traveled the lonely pathways alone. He had lost the urge to rush…what rush was there anymore? No longer did he have the element of surprise. The metallic floor gave a faint shine, as Shadow turned another corner. Where were those stairs hiding? How annoying, the hedgehog grunted. His shoes clinked against the spotless floor as he approached the end of another hallway. The hedgehog quickly stopped on instinct; once again, this was going to save some precious minutes. He had heard something. Immediately, Shadow whirled into a room and left the door open a crack. He was interested in seeing who it was. Unlike the soundless robot, there was a lot of noise made…more robots had arrived. It was that or he was being more wary of his surroundings now that he wasn't speeding off blindly. Shadow's sharp red eyes caught the image of more, medium sized, robots.

"Eggman-sama said that Shadow the hedgehog is in the building." A slightly larger robot announced,

"Be on guard for anything." The dark hedgehog took this as his "a-ok" to go ahead. Quickly, he popped out of the room and slashed all of the robots.

"Ah!" A robot beeped, as Shadow ripped through the metal. The robot fell to the ground and shut down. The other robots-after seeing their leader's downfall-began rapidly shooting at the hedgehog. Shadow disappeared and came back behind them.

"Chaos spear!" and then all was silent. The rivals littered the floor. Shadow eased up and wiped his hands together. That wasn't so hard. The hedgehog's crimson eyes caught a small gun that a robot had used. He picked it up and studied it for a second. Good gun…this was an opportunity…Shadow flashed a smile to the silver reflection on the gun and flipped it in his hand. Some good luck. Suddenly, a little walkie talkie transmitted a message,

"Where are you number 783? Did you find Shadow the hedgehog? What happened?" Shadow glanced at the little object before picking it up and politely replying.

"Yes, Dr. Eggman…they have…" he then dropped the walkie talkie and crushed it under his hard shoes, rubbing it hard into the ground. The last thing heard was,

"Damn you, Shadow!" before the signal was lost. Little sparks were flying out, as Shadow kicked it across the hall. The hedgehog's mind began thinking a little more logically now. The robots had approached from that direction so the stairs and/or elevator must be around there. Sure enough, when Shadow turned the corner there was an elevator. He stepped inside and pressed the top button. It lit a bright green before beginning its ascent. All of a sudden, the elevator started to shake. A metal hand busted through one side of the elevator. Shadow's eyes widened. He hadn't expected this. Robots had tracked him into the elevator and were trying to break in and destroy him. More robots began attacking the outside of the elevator. Shadow dodged their hits before breaking out himself. Some robots fell downward as he burst out, while others turned to face their opponent. An idea clicked in, as Shadow took in his surroundings. He blasted a couple of close robots with his gun before leaping towards another rope. He cut the rope the elevator was dangling from with a chaos spear, and as it fell, Shadow shot up. The hedgehog quickly neared his floor in this fashion. When it was time to get off, Shadow launched himself through the two metal doors and into a large corridor. At the end, was a giant door that probably held the doctor and the idiotic echidna. Shadow's dark crimson eyes searched the area for anything else. It was quiet. Nothing was waiting for him. Shadow walked up to the door slowly before stopping abruptly. Should he really do this? Was this the right decision? He averted his eyes to the ground and then glanced to his side. The dark hedgehog stepped in front of the door and it slid open. The door had welcomed him in to a white marble room. It was sparkling clean…with a slight lemon scent. How thoughtful, Shadow remarked inwardly. The doctor was sitting, legs crossed, in a small…pod thing. The echidna glanced in Shadow's direction, as he approached a little closer, letting the door have a chance to close behind him. Knuckles intertwined his arms in front of his chest and grunted. Eggman pushed up his glasses before grinning at the hedgehog,

"Well, Knuckles; it looks like your comrade is here!" Knuckles smirked at the hedgehog and stretched out his limbs. Oh, how he had so longed for this moment.

"Hey..." was the echidna's short response. There wasn't much to say.

"Toodles!" Eggman gleefully waved, and his seat was sucked down by a current of air, as he left the two animals to battle. For a while, it was silent. No punches or curses. Just silence. They had a type of staring contest; both contestants' eyes were trying to intimidate the others. Thoughts were rushing last-minute through Shadow's mind. What about Rouge? That question kept the hedgehog quiet. Yes, what about the bat…and what did Knuckles think of it. Finally, Shadow spoke,

"It's Rouge you really want…right?" Knuckles cautiously nodded and leaned back a little in his stance to see what the hedgehog had in store. Well, duh that was what he wanted. This annoying hedgehog was wasting time. He knew what he did…there was no need for an unneeded explanation.

"Is that the only reason you're hurting her and trying desperately to destroy me?" he questioned again. Shadow was just checking. Why risk his life if that wasn't going to end the echidna's wanton ways? Knuckles was surprised. Shadow wasn't being rough; he was just clearly asking a simple question. Then again, didn't all things seem that way.

"Okay…I'll take that as a "maybe"." Knuckles raised an eyebrow. Was _**the **_Shadow the hedgehog unsure? What was wrong with him? What was the big deal? Knuckles just wanted to fight it all out. Get all his anger out…retrieve what he once had. Put things the way they should be. In his mind, he wasn't being reckless. He was being practical. Technically, Shadow was pretty old…he didn't deserve to…to really be around. Shadow already had everything. Amazing power, not too shabby looks, a pretty good attitude. Why did he need Rouge?

"And it seems that all you want is to see me dead in front of you so…" Shadow glanced over at Knuckles sharply. The echidna was really confused now. He didn't _**really**_want Shadow "dead"…that was a bit harsh. Conscience was quickly overcome though. Knuckles couldn't just sit back and say "Hey, that's okay!" No…that wasn't an option. Shadow had messed up his life. Nothing could make that better…

"No not really…but that doesn't mean I don't wanna beat the crap outta you…" The echidna smirked at his own humor. Shadow sighed and went into a stance. All Knuckles seemed to want was a fight…that was what Shadow had to give him. Knuckles finally grinned and came straight towards the hedgehog. The dark hedgehog blocked this careless attack, grabbed both of the echidna's arms, and flung him behind. Knuckles' face was priceless… The echidna slid across the ground on his feet before stopping. He leaped into the air and came barraging down with a fury of spiked punches. Shadow dodged them easily, smirking at him all the while. The quick hedgehog appeared behind Knuckles and then kicked him to the ground. Knuckles winced slightly but, this was nothing compared to any emotional pain he felt before. Nothing… He stood up, very agitated to say in the least, and grabbed a marble pillar, flinging it towards Shadow. The hedgehog's eyes opened up slightly, as he cleared the pillar. Dashing across it, the hedgehog formed into a ball and shot himself at Knuckles. Just what the echidna was hoping that Shadow would do. He grabbed the fast moving sphere and shot it through a couple of pillars, crumbling them to the ground. Shadow's breathing quickened as well as his heart rate. Brushing pieces of marble out of his fur, he raced towards Knuckles,

"Chaos spear!" he called out and shot them at the echidna, just missing him. The marble flew up and changed the landscape of the battle. Knuckles grunted and dug underneath with his fast hands. Shadow was wary and Knuckles just missed, he was a little too hasty. Shadow took that as a time to hit him rapidly. He threw a couple of quick jabs and punches into the echidna's stomach. The echidna fell to the ground with Shadow. Knuckles wasn't stopping that easily though. He wasn't about to be underestimated. He came at Shadow and they began a pitch close-combat fight. Both boys were dodging, blocking and fighting fiercely. They jumped back, both panting slightly. Knuckles came again at Shadow, but the hedgehog leaped into the air and used another chaos spear. One hit the echidna, and he coughed out a couple of droplets of blood. Shadow had never meant for that to happen, but he didn't have to worry about Knuckles' condition. Surprisingly, he whipped around, lashing out at the hedgehog. The impact shot Shadow into the wall. This time, blood came out of the hedgehog as well. He glanced up at Knuckles. The echidna was silently staring at the ground. What was it? Nevertheless, Shadow rammed into him. As Knuckles went flying, the hedgehog could've sworn he felt liquid…liquid that wasn't blood. His glove soaked up the small droplets on his cheek. They were tears. Tears…from the echidna. Knuckles was obviously in a lot of physical and mental pain. It made Shadow feel sorry for the echidna. After all he'd put him through…it made the dark hedgehog feel heartless. For a split-second, Shadow saw Knuckles' truly sad look; he was weeping silently through his anger. What pain this must've caused him. Knuckles was blindly lashing about now. Shadow just kicked him back over and over again. The echidna bled more and more until he crumbled down. He couldn't take this…it was time for the next step. No more would he cry. The echidna whipped out a blue liquid, it was fizzy and bubbles came out of the container as he opened it. After drinking heartily he turned back to the fight,

"This is why I came to Eggman, his power!" he yelled out at his opponent. Shadow cautiously stepped back. This looked dangerous. What in the world did Eggman do now? Apparently, he had created a monster. Knuckles became enveloped in a blue aura. Winds surrounded him now, as he glared at the hedgehog and bared his teeth. No longer did the echidna feel any signs of regret, only the intention to finish the hedgehog's life. His emerald-green eyes flashed, as he rushed over to Shadow. Knuckles was so fast now…nearly as fast as the hedgehog himself. He came at him with such brute force and power; it sent Shadow flying into a wall. Shadow spat out blood again. Yup, this was bad. Knuckles had as much power as when he was in his "super Shadow" state. He had to call upon that unnatural being to actually be able to rival Knuckles. Shadow always hated going into that being. It almost made him feel weak. He believed that the chaos emeralds were doing all the work, not the real Shadow. Despite that uneasy feeling, Shadow called out for the emeralds' power. A golden aura now surrounded him. They began brawling again, this time with all of these colors and explosions. Shadow was very careful about Knuckles' punches because they were now so dangerous. Knuckles came barreling towards Shadow with full power. The hedgehog inhaled sharply, as he was sent crashing to the ground. Panting, he slowly stood up. A little voice inside Shadow told him just to hang on a bit longer and that something was going to come to his aid…perhaps that was Rouge's voice inside his head. Eventually, he noticed that the echidna's moves were becoming sluggish. Was that a sign? Or was that drink was doing something to him? Eggman came back up,

"Ooh, he didn't do what I told him to do now did he? That's too bad…" He took out a silver gun and pointed it at Knuckles. Shadow's eyes widened. So that was it…that drink was meant for him. Knuckles knew that that would happen. He would get amazing power, and then it would suck itself all away making the drinker powerless…like Knuckles was now. The echidna was breathing heavily against the wall. The moment had blurred his thinking. Now, this was bad. Eggman never wanted to give Knuckles power in the first place. The doctor whipped out a bright silver gun. Oh sh- Knuckles snapped his eyes shut and prepared for impact. Shadow inhaled sharply and did a last minute movement. Eggman pulled the trigger and there was a loud bang…

AN: Okay, sooooo...yea, the next part is going to be Rouge's POV from when she arrives at the tower. :) Was this part suspensful? EPIC FIGHTING??? Ahhh, maybe not. XD I'm not so good at writing fighting/brawling scenes, so just bear with me through this. =.=" I have written a "happy" and "sad" ending for this story. Take your pick when the time comes. ;) That's all folks, adios.


	14. Life and Death sad ending

Again, this is Rouge's POV now starting from when she arrives at the tower. (just so people don't get confused. :)) And once again, this is the SAD ending, so if you don't like sad endings, best click the next chapter which is the happy ending. They both start the same, but differ somewhere down there. DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN...blahblahblah...SONIC THE HEDGEHOG OR ANY AFFILIATED CHARACTERS. Story (c) me, please no stealing.

Tails brought Rouge right up to the tower, the winds were calmer now and it made it easier on the X-Tornado.

"Thanks, Tails." Rouge quickly said. The day had flown past with the wind and already it was nearing evening. Sand swirled, as a warm breeze tickled past. The sun's orangish glow set a fire the grains of sand, and they glowed in the unnatural light. The dunes were set ablaze. There was a bit of an awkward silence between the kitsune and her. Tails nodded, as his body seemed to wake up suddenly, and wished her well.

"Oh, geez. It was nothing! Sorry about the…you know…heh heh…" He gave an apologetic look before his face lit up.

"Ooh, I should probably let you go and…"

"Yea, it's okay Tails." Rouge gave as soft, yet hurried smile. The kitsune's face broke into a giant grin, as he gave the bat a small salute, as the engine started up again and he sailed into the sky. The bat waved a bit longer than she should have. She couldn't help it. There was an achy feeling in her hollow stomach. Something wasn't right. She had to find Shadow fast. The bat's sharp sea-blue eyes glanced up at the large citadel. It loomed over the desert, casting a long, dark...foreboding shadow…Shadow. The bat sighed and shook her head. It was beginning to swallow up her thoughts and obsessing her. Making up her mind, Rouge flew higher and higher up the tower. She quickly took flight and began to check the windows of every room for…him. Her heart was pounding, as she struggled to keep her calmness. She was scared and that fear took control of her feelings. It was nerve-racking thinking about what could have happened…what **did** happen…this all was just a big mistake gone too far. Partially, it was her fault. There was a note of guilt. She was always a bit stubborn…oh, that fateful day that seemed eons away. The day at the movie theater…and the start of turmoils of troubles, a tossing sea of binds. She couldn't ignore that factor. Frowning, she continued up the tower. Her hope was that it would be a simple fly up, but…it was an Eggman tower though; it was a bit brainless to think that it'd be that quick. Her careless action would not go without a consequence. Rouge must've passed through some sort of motion detector because immediately, lasers popped up and began firing at her. The bat gasped, as one of them grazed her right wing. A sure fire aim. The shooting had caught her completely by surprise. The deer trapped in a makeshift snare…so obvious, yet very dangerous. She flew through an open window and into a room. Rouge muttered a curse, as she peeked outside again. The little laser shooters scanned the area. Rouge had seemed to disappear to them. The bat knew it would be bad if Eggman found out that someone had dodged the security and managed to get inside. Not only would it piss off Shadow more than necessary, but Eggman was smart enough to find out who it could be. She glanced at a small box and had an idea. Rouge picked up the surprisingly heavy box, and flung it out the window. The lasers thought it was their enemy again and exploded the fake target.

"Target neutralized." It bleeped before going back into its hiding place. Rouge let out a big breath. It was a relief that it actually worked. She would've thought that they would've seen the shape of the box and completely ignored it. Lucky, she supposed. The lasers were gone, but now it was going to be harder to get up the tower. Her arm shot pain into her body. Her mouth was twisted into a type of wince filled with pain. The other hand quivered, as she tried stopping the steady trickle of blood from the insignificant wound…but she decided to let it be after she realized that the only thing she was accomplishing was soiling her perfectly good white gloves. The corners of her lips pulled down, as she frowned at the bloody mess. Flapping her wings a bit, she shook herself into getting up. She mustered up all the determination and courage she could and stepped out into the hallway. There was nothing to fuel her except the haunting thought that she would be too late. As she absent-mindedly walked down the hallway, she nearly tripped over cluttered robot pieces. Inwardly, she cursed at her seemingly clumsy feet. She raised her head and realized that this was a lot…a lot of robots. It must've been done by the hedgehog; the idea clicked into the bat's mind. Yes, that was the hopeful explanation that she wished to be true. It most likely was. Tactical thinking began swarming its way into the situation. Eggman always had his fortresses designed the exact same way. Where there was a multitude of knowledge in his mind…there was also a lack of imagination and creativity. It made the situation a little brighter. Perhaps there would be an elevator or stairs nearby. Rouge stepped her way to the end of the hallway, avoiding the little bits of machinery that littered the ground. It reminded her of the time on the airship…where the dead bodies covered the floor. She imagined Shadow rolling his eyes, as she slipped around more robot parts and smiled slightly. Suddenly, her eyes caught the sparks and ripped metal at where the elevator should have been. She shook her head. What had Shadow done? Rouge peered up the elevator shaft only to be alarmed as another piece of metal just deftly missed her protruding head. The bat gasped before breathing a sigh of relief. With her heart pounding, her mind was changed to the option of the stairs. She tilted her head slightly and caught view of another hallway. There was a sign posted that had the words written on it "Stairs". She huffed a bit, blowing a stray piece of marble-white fur out of her face. If only she hadn't been stupid enough to get noticed by the lasers. Ah, but who said getting to Shadow would be easy? It would have to take a great amount of effort…and a bit of endurance. Rouge had tried to be a tough girl throughout the eventful days, but her strength was weakening. She sighed and headed towards the long hallway. There was a bit of a groan on her part. She hoped she was fit enough for the challenge. She hadn't really fought or worked out for a while. This could be rough. Running up the stairs…at least it wasn't running up stairs with giant robots chasing after you shooting all sorts of things around…or with a really mad Knuckles. She imagined the red echidna barreling towards her with fiery eyes…and somehow it was a humorous relief. Smiling unconsciously, she inhaled sharply and began her journey up the numerous amounts of steps. While she ran, she felt her legs seem to wheeze. Yep, this was a little workout for her. Maybe she should've stuck to that diet of hers…? If only she could've flown up. The wings she had were damaged brutally though. They were of no use, and there was no point in thinking about the "what ifs?" Her heart raced and her mind settled itself into a rut of balance. Her legs pumped and became numb and sore at the same time. Little panels were the only indication of what floor the bat was on. They increased slowly as she traveled up and up. Her mind began to wander, but she reminded herself that it would be a bad decision. Her thoughts would intertwine themselves around the giant, dark cloud of emotions. What a disaster that would be. It was only until she began to reach the early twenties when she aware of the fact that it was beginning to seem impossible. Her stride lessened a bit. She gave herself a tired look. Inside, she roughly snapped herself back into position. If she stopped, it would only make starting again a hell of a lot harder. She wasn't about to be sucked into an all too familiar oblivion otherwise known as her thoughts. The bat bit her lip and lengthened her strides again, keeping in time with the clicking of her shoes. She tried thinking of a song…that would get her mind a little amused and maybe give herself a motive for running. People did it all the time in the early morning…she just couldn't figure out why they ran at all. A quiet song popped up. She silently hummed the tune in her head. It was relaxing, yet slightly sad…setting a unique type of mood. She glanced upward. Losing track of the stairs and her floor, she nearly tripped. Rouge had made it to the top. Surprised at herself, she glanced all the way down the stairway. The bat had did it…she was going to make it. Rouge ran down the corridor. No longer did her legs feel they were pulling themselves through molasses. Her shoes clicked defiantly against the marble floor, as they broke the still silence that hung in the air. She skidded to a stop in front of a large door. Inside, there was smashing and screaming to be heard. He must be in there…she approached carefully. Her hand was hovered over the doorknob. Why did her hand stop? Was she afraid of what was inside? Afraid to be disappointed? …crushed? Despite the raging emotions inside, she firmly grasped the doorknob and yanked the large doors open. Dust and smoke rushed out of the enclosed room like a mob of people. The sight and smell knocked her down. It burned her eyes and she coughed, as she pulled away, covering the side of her face with her hands. The smokiness began to clear out, and Rouge could make out two figures. There was a rush of winds and an ominous feeling swallowed up the bat's thoughts. It left her blank, as she saw an enraged Knuckles and Shadow clash. As Shadow slid across the rough ground, a sound that resembled metal scratching across a chalkboard was emitted. Rouge uttered a gasp, as the scraping sound echoed in her large ears. Knuckles lumbered over to the hedgehog, straight above him. He yelled and slammed his fists down into the marble, just missing Shadow. The quick hedgehog had rolled out of the way and managed to return back on his feet. He charged into the echidna with a golden fist, this time hitting him. Knuckles winced, as Shadow hopped back, panting and utterly worn out. The echidna became sluggish and a tired look dawned on his battered façade. Rouge stood there petrified, shocked…lifeless. It was a horrible sight…she couldn't stand it. The fight had paralyzed her from moving. She shook her head hard and managed to push herself into the room. There must be something she could do to stop them. Her feet stopped short, as she saw Eggman arise. Both fighters glanced angrily towards the doctor. His glasses shined, as he pushed them further up the bridge of his long nose. He grinned and them both.

"Ooh, he didn't do what I told him to do now did he? That's too bad…" she heard him say to them both. Knuckles was huffing and panting. Knuckles' eyes widened before clamping his eyes shut at the sight of the scientist. It all fell into place like dominos after that. He whipped out a gun, pointed, Shadow glanced at the echidna, and the only thing Rouge saw left for her to do was…

"Shadow!" she screamed. There was a blur, a bang…and then silence. She saw Eggman's face first. It was twisted into some sort of confused, aghast expression. He dropped the versatile weapon and wiped his hands on his shirt before crossing them in front of his chest. He tried to act like all of those villains he had watched on those ten dollar video clips. Heartless, cold, and uncaring…but he just couldn't pull it off. The doctor gave up and turned away from the sudden…end. The bat ran towards the two boys in desperation. No…no…no… She heard Knuckles cough, and then she saw him rub his eyes. The echidna's eyes fluttered open and he uttered a small "No way." Rouge's expression grew worried, as she averted her eyes to Shadow. He was standing in front of Knuckles and blood was marring his dark fur. The frothy red liquid streamed out of the wound and dribbled out the sides. He was closing his eyes; feeling the pain travel throughout his body. She saw the definite bullet hole in his chest. The white fur that had puffed up there was turning a ghastly ruby. His super state had faded and the room then grew dark. Nobody had realized that night had already fallen on the quiet battlefield. An awkward silence filled the room. Rouge's jaw dropped and the result swept through her like an unwelcome chill. Tears already began to form, as another hollow feeling swallowed her. The last sliver of hope sparkled away. Darkness and shadows laughed and swirled around her mind. The bat fell to her knees, shock electrocuted her. Knuckles took his hands away from his face slowly and saw the hedgehog protecting him. His eyes grew wide with amazement and the hedgehog fell to his side; those crimson eyes shut down. Knuckles' mouth made unconscious movements without a word spoken. He glanced at his own bloody spiked hands and clenched them. His eyes squished themselves together before he screamed out. The echidna angrily lashed out at Eggman leaving him unconscious. The doctor's gun clattered across the ground, as the bat shook her head slowly before letting it turn into a violent shake. Tears wouldn't stop. Rouge arose from her kneeled position and ran over quickly to the downed hedgehog,

"Shadow!" she cried out again. Dirt and messy marks adorned her clothes when she ran through the dusty mess. She nearly tripped, but kept going. The bat shook him, as her tears dropped onto the stiff body.

"Shadow! You can't! You promised…you promised!" She choked, as the tears streamed. Knuckles closed his eyes and shook his head slowly,

"You didn't have to…" he began, but Shadow coughed ever so slightly and Rouge shushed him, listening intently.

"Yes…I did…or else, she would have no one." He gave a small smile, as he let his head hit the ground while he studied the two surrounding faces. Rouge's eyes welled up with tears again. She threw herself on his body and cried into his fur. Shadow patted her slowly and lightly before coughing and gasping for air again. Knuckles made a movement out to the hedgehog, but his hand was hit away by the anger-stricken bat.

"You…you…!" it was his entire fault. Knuckles' face dropped, as he stepped back. Shadow grabbed the bat's arm the best that he could. She kneeled back down instead of going after the red echidna as she had planned. He shook his head.

"No, it's not…not him. It's me…I did what I did…none of it is his fault…" He tried giving Rouge a straight face, as he breathed heavily. The bat held his shaking hand. She swallowed hard when she saw his dulled red eyes turn back up towards the ceiling. He seemed to be studying his life over, checking for any faults…

"Well, then you're such an idiot! What…what's wrong with you?!" Rouge yelled while clutching a tuft of black fur. She didn't mean it…but it felt like she did. How could he have? The hedgehog smiled,

"I guess I am, huh…? But please…this is my life…and I-I did this my own way. No matter how crazy…or idiotic. It was now…or never." She crashed her lips onto his and they kissed through her tears and through his indescribable pain. Shadow kissed her deeply and with all the love that he could muster. Cherishing the last moments wasn't a hard thing. After all that they'd kept back, it was a relief…a relief backed with a nagging knowing that it wouldn't last. Both hearts cracked open in the silence. And then…from that moment, those eyes finally closed up forever and his pulse began to fade away. Never again would anyone see the sharpness of the crimson eyes that would stare down others. Never again would the bat feel such feelings again. Never…never… She pulled her lips away. Shadow's hand dropped next to his lifeless body. His head fell back and his chest stopped expanding. Labored breathing ceased… Rouge closed her eyes, her hands in fists on her lap. She bit her lip, as the pain and sadness shivered down her spine and into her mind. Knuckles was utterly speechless. He turned away in shame. The bat couldn't stand it she sobbed and hugged the cold figure. Shadow had done the best he could for her and now he was gone. Her watery sapphire eyes stared lovingly at his face. She slipped the azure ring off of her finger and placed it on top of Shadow's chest. The bright red served as a contrasting background to the token of love given to the bat. Rouge bitterly thought about their last exchange, as it blew away from the scene and out the window. It flew out into the night sky…the memory that the nighttime sky would forever hold a secret. The quiet pressure of time…was now louder than ever.

"Please understand, Shadow." Knuckles lifted his head and turned around. What in the…? The bat had picked up the gun Eggman had dropped. She rolled it in between her fingers before giving the echidna a dark gaze. Knuckles shook his head,

"NO, DON'T…!" He barely had any time to react…the trigger was pulled for the second time and destroyed yet another sad soul. He was silenced. The red figure dropped to the ground with a bullet hole in the head. Eyes still wide-open and mouth gaping in surprise…a sort of commemoration…a live commemoration. No mistakes anymore…the bat shook her head. She was clearing the dirty mess that the three had conjured. Rouge stared at her reflection in the deadly weapon, as she pointed it at the side of her head. It was time to end this. Another shot and all was gone. She fell on top of the hedgehog, enjoying her position of death. No regrets, no mess-ups, and no other sins to be made. Darkness seeped in through the windows and the moon rose higher in the desert sky. It was almost as if they all didn't exist anymore. Their minds weren't going to pester them anymore…and neither would the shadowy feeling of loss or hate. That's what drove them to begin this story…and here it is to end it.

**The End**

AN: Well, a short death and a short sad, yet completely romantic ending. That's how death and life rolls on people. The happy ending is longer only because I actually have living characters to work with. XD Peace out.


	15. Oxymorons of a Writer happy ending

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SONIC THE HEDGEHOG OR ANY AFFILIATED CHARACTERS...m'kay?? :D Sorry for the EXTREMELY long ending. :/ Bear with me again?

Tails brought Rouge right up to the tower, the winds were calmer now and it made it easier on the X-Tornado.

"Thanks, Tails." Rouge quickly said. The day had flown past with the wind and already it was nearing evening. Sand swirled, as a warm breeze tickled past. The sun's orangish glow set a fire the grains of sand, and they glowed in the unnatural light. The dunes were set ablaze. There was a bit of an awkward silence between the kitsune and her. Tails nodded, as his body seemed to wake up suddenly, and wished her well.

"Oh, geez. It was nothing! Sorry about the…you know…heh heh…" He gave an apologetic look before his face lit up.

"Ooh, I should probably let you go and…"

"Yea, it's okay Tails." Rouge gave as soft, yet hurried smile. The kitsune's face broke into a giant grin, as he gave the bat a small salute, as the engine started up again and he sailed into the sky. The bat waved a bit longer than she should have. She couldn't help it. There was an achy feeling in her hollow stomach. Something wasn't right. She had to find Shadow fast. The bat's sharp sea-blue eyes glanced up at the large citadel. It loomed over the desert, casting a long, dark...foreboding shadow…Shadow. The bat sighed and shook her head. It was beginning to swallow up her thoughts and obsessing her. Making up her mind, Rouge flew higher and higher up the tower. She quickly took flight and began to check the windows of every room for…him. Her heart was pounding, as she struggled to keep her calmness. She was scared and that fear took control of her feelings. It was nerve-racking thinking about what could have happened…what **did** happen…this all was just a big mistake gone too far. Partially, it was her fault. There was a note of guilt. She was always a bit stubborn…oh, that fateful day that seemed eons away. The day at the movie theater…and the start of turmoils of troubles, a tossing sea of binds. She couldn't ignore that factor. Frowning, she continued up the tower. Her hope was that it would be a simple fly up, but…it was an Eggman tower though; it was a bit brainless to think that it'd be that quick. Her careless action would not go without a consequence. Rouge must've passed through some sort of motion detector because immediately, lasers popped up and began firing at her. The bat gasped, as one of them grazed her right wing. A sure fire aim. The shooting had caught her completely by surprise. The deer trapped in a makeshift snare…so obvious, yet very dangerous. She flew through an open window and into a room. Rouge muttered a curse, as she peeked outside again. The little laser shooters scanned the area. Rouge had seemed to disappear to them. The bat knew it would be bad if Eggman found out that someone had dodged the security and managed to get inside. Not only would it piss off Shadow more than necessary, but Eggman was smart enough to find out who it could be. She glanced at a small box and had an idea. Rouge picked up the surprisingly heavy box, and flung it out the window. The lasers thought it was their enemy again and exploded the fake target.

"Target neutralized." It bleeped before going back into its hiding place. Rouge let out a big breath. It was a relief that it actually worked. She would've thought that they would've seen the shape of the box and completely ignored it. Lucky, she supposed. The lasers were gone, but now it was going to be harder to get up the tower. Her arm shot pain into her body. Her mouth was twisted into a type of wince filled with pain. The other hand quivered, as she tried stopping the steady trickle of blood from the insignificant wound…but she decided to let it be after she realized that the only thing she was accomplishing was soiling her perfectly good white gloves. The corners of her lips pulled down, as she frowned at the bloody mess. Flapping her wings a bit, she shook herself into getting up. She mustered up all the determination and courage she could and stepped out into the hallway. There was nothing to fuel her except the haunting thought that she would be too late. As she absent-mindedly walked down the hallway, she nearly tripped over cluttered robot pieces. Inwardly, she cursed at her seemingly clumsy feet. She raised her head and realized that this was a lot…a lot of robots. It must've been done by the hedgehog; the idea clicked into the bat's mind. Yes, that was the hopeful explanation that she wished to be true. It most likely was. Tactical thinking began swarming its way into the situation. Eggman always had his fortresses designed the exact same way. Where there was a multitude of knowledge in his mind…there was also a lack of imagination and creativity. It made the situation a little brighter. Perhaps there would be an elevator or stairs nearby. Rouge stepped her way to the end of the hallway, avoiding the little bits of machinery that littered the ground. It reminded her of the time on the airship…where the dead bodies covered the floor. She imagined Shadow rolling his eyes, as she slipped around more robot parts and smiled slightly. Suddenly, her eyes caught the sparks and ripped metal at where the elevator should have been. She shook her head. What had Shadow done? Rouge peered up the elevator shaft only to be alarmed as another piece of metal just deftly missed her protruding head. The bat gasped before breathing a sigh of relief. With her heart pounding, her mind was changed to the option of the stairs. She tilted her head slightly and caught view of another hallway. There was a sign posted that had the words written on it "Stairs". She huffed a bit, blowing a stray piece of marble-white fur out of her face. If only she hadn't been stupid enough to get noticed by the lasers. Ah, but who said getting to Shadow would be easy? It would have to take a great amount of effort…and a bit of endurance. Rouge had tried to be a tough girl throughout the eventful days, but her strength was weakening. She sighed and headed towards the long hallway. There was a bit of a groan on her part. She hoped she was fit enough for the challenge. She hadn't really fought or worked out for a while. This could be rough. Running up the stairs…at least it wasn't running up stairs with giant robots chasing after you shooting all sorts of things around…or with a really mad Knuckles. She imagined the red echidna barreling towards her with fiery eyes…and somehow it was a humorous relief. Smiling unconsciously, she inhaled sharply and began her journey up the numerous amounts of steps. While she ran, she felt her legs seem to wheeze. Yep, this was a little workout for her. Maybe she should've stuck to that diet of hers…? If only she could've flown up. The wings she had were damaged brutally though. They were of no use, and there was no point in thinking about the "what ifs?" Her heart raced and her mind settled itself into a rut of balance. Her legs pumped and became numb and sore at the same time. Little panels were the only indication of what floor the bat was on. They increased slowly as she traveled up and up. Her mind began to wander, but she reminded herself that it would be a bad decision. Her thoughts would intertwine themselves around the giant, dark cloud of emotions. What a disaster that would be. It was only until she began to reach the early twenties when she aware of the fact that it was beginning to seem impossible. Her stride lessened a bit. She gave herself a tired look. Inside, she roughly snapped herself back into position. If she stopped, it would only make starting again a hell of a lot harder. She wasn't about to be sucked into an all too familiar oblivion otherwise known as her thoughts. The bat bit her lip and lengthened her strides again, keeping in time with the clicking of her shoes. She tried thinking of a song…that would get her mind a little amused and maybe give herself a motive for running. People did it all the time in the early morning…she just couldn't figure out why they ran at all. A quiet song popped up. She silently hummed the tune in her head. It was relaxing, yet slightly sad…setting a unique type of mood. She glanced upward. Losing track of the stairs and her floor, she nearly tripped. Rouge had made it to the top. Surprised at herself, she glanced all the way down the stairway. The bat had did it…she was going to make it. Rouge ran down the corridor. No longer did her legs feel they were pulling themselves through molasses. Her shoes clicked defiantly against the marble floor, as they broke the still silence that hung in the air. She skidded to a stop in front of a large door. Inside, there was smashing and screaming to be heard. He must be in there…she approached carefully. Her hand was hovered over the doorknob. Why did her hand stop? Was she afraid of what was inside? Afraid to be disappointed? …crushed? Despite the raging emotions inside, she firmly grasped the doorknob and yanked the large doors open. Dust and smoke rushed out of the enclosed room like a mob of people. The sight and smell knocked her down. It burned her eyes and she coughed, as she pulled away, covering the side of her face with her hands. The smokiness began to clear out, and Rouge could make out two figures. There was a rush of winds and an ominous feeling swallowed up the bat's thoughts. It left her blank, as she saw an enraged Knuckles and Shadow clash. As Shadow slid across the rough ground, a sound that resembled metal scratching across a chalkboard was emitted. Rouge uttered a gasp, as the scraping sound echoed in her large ears. Knuckles lumbered over to the hedgehog, straight above him. He yelled and slammed his fists down into the marble, just missing Shadow. The quick hedgehog had rolled out of the way and managed to return back on his feet. He charged into the echidna with a golden fist, this time hitting him. Knuckles winced, as Shadow hopped back, panting and utterly worn out. The echidna became sluggish and a tired look dawned on his battered façade. Rouge stood there petrified, shocked…lifeless. It was a horrible sight…she couldn't stand it. The fight had paralyzed her from moving. She shook her head hard and managed to push herself into the room. There must be something she could do to stop them. Her feet stopped short, as she saw Eggman arise. Both fighters glanced angrily towards the doctor. His glasses shined, as he pushed them further up the bridge of his long nose. He grinned and them both.

"Ooh, he didn't do what I told him to do now did he? That's too bad…" she heard him say to them both. Knuckles was huffing and panting. Knuckles' eyes widened before clamping his eyes shut at the sight of the scientist. It all fell into place like dominos after that. He whipped out a gun, pointed, Shadow glanced at the echidna, and the only thing Rouge saw left for her to do was…

"Shadow!" she screamed. There was a blur, a bang…and then silence. She saw Eggman's face first. It was twisted into some sort of confused, aghast expression. He dropped the versatile weapon, blood was smeared on his red suit. The gun the doctor had held in his final breaths clattered in the silence. Eggman slumped into his seat. All focus from him was slid onto a certain dark hedgehog. He stood there in silence…in front of the red opponent. A determined look washed over his tired face. Knuckles pulled his hands away from his face and stared in disbelief. The silver gun that had called attention to the hedgehog did prove handy…of use…of importance. His surprisingly rough voice broke the stillness of shock,

"You don't point a gun at him and get away with it…" The scientist winced in pain, as he struggled to sit up. He held the wound with one white glove and pressed a bright green button. Eggman was taken down to the first floor at rapids speeds away from the three animals. Rouge's lower lip quivered, as she struggled to say something. Shadow turned around and glanced at the two companions. Knuckles shook his head.

"But…but why?" The quiet hedgehog smiled softly and looked back at the echidna with softer eyes as well,

"Why would I let you get killed?" The tough red one felt shivers go throughout him. He began to see the pain and agony within the animal standing in front of him. How wrong he was…

"I…I'm sorry, Shadow…" he dropped to the ground in the deepest of bows. Why did he do it? That question was not asked by Shadow, but he answered the apology. The midnight black hedgehog placed a hand on Knuckles' shoulder. The echidna looked up for a split-second before shaking his head and staring at the ground. He wasn't worthy for any forgiveness. He began to shake and they both realized that he was crying…crying in utter sadness for what he had wreaked upon Shadow. There was nothing wrong with him, as he could now see. The hedgehog he had just fought, argued with, hated with all his heart…had just saved his worthless life...

"Shadow the hedgehog…you are the person I wish I could be for Rouge and…you are the…the most merciful person I've ever met." Shadow shook his head and helped Knuckles get up.

"No, Knuckles. You have just been confused…just as I was. I learn from my mistakes, and I believe that you can as well…" the echidna wiped his face with his soiled glove and nodded. Here he was…acting just like a five-year-old being told that it was okay that he had made a wrong error. The bright eyes that belonged to the echidna studied the stronghold named Shadow. They both nodded in acceptance of each other. Rouge stepped forward cautiously. All eyes were focused on the bat now. Knuckles trembled again,

"I…I'm so sorry for you too. I was just the monster I promised I would always protect you from…" Rouge walked up to the echidna and carefully put her arms around him. He glanced down in shame, as she rubbed his back,

"I know…I know…" she whispered softly. When she pulled away, he gave her a sad, childish expression. The bat's face molded into a sympathetic smile. All was forgiven and being mended in the couple of minutes after the shot. It was a juncture between two parts of the same story. After seeing Shadow become so…mature and understanding…it was inspiring. She glanced at Shadow and the sides of his mouth turned up slightly into a soft smile of approval. It grew a bit awkward with all three of them just standing there…waiting for each other. Knuckles then coughed and nervously mumbled,

"Y'know if you guys wanted **_alone_** time you could've just asked…" he had sensed the tension between the two. The female cracked a smile of relief. Shadow shook his head and sighed. The echidna shrugged and headed towards the door backwards.

"I'm just gonna…uh, go beat up Eggman some more or something…see ya." He jerked a thumb at the exit, and then he turned, racing away from the others. A quick, yet effective excuse for a person like him. The two of them were just left standing there…together. Rouge shifted her weight on the leg away from the hedgehog and held the arm on the same side. Shadow smiled at her uneasiness and lifted the weight off her,

"Should we follow him to make sure he doesn't get hurt?" She giggled and nodded silently. He pivoted to go and chase after the red one, but she stopped him. Shadow tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, I just wanted to thank you for…for everything that's happened so far in my life…and um…" Oh geez, it was becoming so cheesy and predictable. She averted her gaze away, but somehow his blood-red eyes captured a-hold of them again.

"You're welcome." He whispered while taking up her hands in his own. Rouge wavered a bit in a daze, as she dipped her head unconsciously. Shadow grinned,

"Heh, I should capture the look on your face…you're like…" he mimicked her expression with great proportions. She blinked twice, snapping her out of it, and shoved him a bit.

"**_I _**should've captured the look on **_your_** when I kissed you the first time." She folded her arms in triumph, but he just broke out into another smile.

"Eh, your kisses don't stun me anymore Miss. Femme Fatale…" he stepped over a bit and lightly brushed the side of her cheek with his lips. She blushed and played with her fingers,

"Yours still affect me…" she muttered. He gave a short laugh and dropped her hands. They swung at her sides, as she studied the ground in embarrassment.

"That okay…I guess I still must be pretty hot." He purred jokingly, and she put a hand to his face. She gave him a mock disgusted look,

"Yuck…" they both laughed for a bit. She moved a little closer to him, and he instantly put his arms around her.

"That was a bold move out there…" she whispered. How could she have taken it if he had lost his life? He pursed his lips and glanced upwards,

"Yea I guess…but it wouldn't have been good to lose Knuckles…" she nodded,

"Of course." She agreed. The hedgehog closed his eyes and felt the cool night's breeze drift into the room making it relaxing from his heated battle.

"Um…are you going to be okay? You're injured…a lot." she studied him worriedly, as the stillness of the evening was snapped. He opened his eyes again and checked himself. Shadow had forgotten how Knuckles had severely ruined him. He frowned and shrugged it off. Personally, he kind of wanted to forget it. The pain didn't bother him until he looked to see how Knuckles had hurt him. Grimacing to himself he replied,

"I should be fine, thanks." He quickly added the little acknowledgement. She glanced at him again before nodding in acceptance. He rocked her slightly back and forth, as they silently enjoyed their quiet moment together…something they had lacked in many of their encounters. Rouge raised another question,

"So, what do we do now?" Shadow responded with a deep breath and a small groan. Why was she so curious about these things right now? He let go of her with one arm and twirled her around to face him. Holding both her arms he softened his eyes and replied softly,

"Whatever you want. You could be by yourself, with me, or with him. I'm not going to make that choice for you…" she sighed and her large ears drooped at the evident truth. The bat had hoped for a different answer, but that was how it was going to be. Frowning a teensy bit, she swallowed and whispered,

**THE INDENTATIONS GET WACKY HERE, JUST IGNORE IT AND KEEP READING.**

"Why do I always have to make hard decisions?" Shadow gave a small smile and patted her head,

"It's 'cause us guys can't handle it and you're a tough girl…aren't you?" she rolled her eyes and settled into the dark hedgehog's hold again. It was comforting having such a powerful person surrounding her with his love and reassurance. He changed his expression back into a more thoughtful and serious look. Rouge played with his blood-massacred glove in silence thinking about what he had said and let it sink in. The charcoal-colored hedgehog had to make plenty of difficult decisions too…she shouldn't be one to complain. After all he'd been through; it was childish to whine about miniscule things as that. This was the same thought that ran through her mind multiple times when she was in situations…just compare her life to one that had more troubles. It put her life in perspective. She felt the hedgehog's chest expand, as he took in a nonchalant breath. Yes, it was a little brainless, she thought to herself again, as she felt the exhale of the breath come in time. Both of them had just pushed themselves through many of the trials and challenges that awaited them. Her eyes flitted and tried to snap themselves open to stay awake. The white bat was exhausted though and every attempt to stay awake just brought her closer to sleep. Shadow felt her nodding towards dreamland and the sides of his mouth turned up a bit.

"Maybe we should go now?" he questioned. The bat's watery blue eyes kept open this time. She nodded and yawned a little. Embarrassed, she covered her mouth and excused herself,

"Whoops…yea I guess so." Shadow smirked and grunted, as he stood up and then helped Rouge rise up. The hedgehog grabbed both arms and swiftly pulled her up. Smiling, she whipped up a little closer than expected and licked his dark black nose. He made a face before muttering something inaudible. The bat grinned and wrapped her arms around the annoyed hedgehog, pulling him into a hug. He rolled his eyes, filled with sarcasm, just as she had before and then rubbed her back with an arm. They headed toward the large door in sync with each other's steps. Their shoes made loud noises against the marble. Rouge took a light breath before attempting to fly again. Surprisingly, her body lifted up and her wings flapped. She smiled and offered her hands to Shadow. He gave an unsure and distasteful glance but accepted them. She immediately took off, swinging the surprised hedgehog down the hall. Shadow made a small grunt of surprise before enjoying his slight hovering experience. They turned the corner and zipped down the empty elevator shaft that Shadow had busted. Both felt refreshing wind in their faces. It felt like good old times when they were sent on missions together and enjoyed every moment of their little adventure. Rouge didn't slow down, as she made the sharp thrust through the elevator doorway that would lead them to Knuckles. The hedgehog quickly raised his legs and just missed the floor of the doorway that would have knocked him clean out of her grasp. He gave her a warning glance, but said nothing. They shot over the robots and hugged every curve that the corridors threw. Soon they reached an open area that seemed to act as the foyer for the mansion of a hideout. The bright russet echidna came into view beating up the scientist with a horrible laugh a multitude of times. He waved for a second before continuing his unfailing wave of hits. Shadow grunted and Rouge laughed. Knuckles gave a confused look,

"What?" he shrugged. The ebony hedgehog sighed and let go of Rouge's hands. He approached the echidna with Rouge following closely behind still in the air.

"Enough of that. We need to get home." Knuckles looked up from his intense beating session and dropped the doctor who fell over in effect. He scratched his head and let out a big breath,

"How're we gonna do that?" Rouge's eyes lit up, and she revealed the lavender-colored phone she held so dear.

"With this Knux." The bat held it up to the amethyst eyes of the echidna. Knuckles pouted at his unfortunate nickname before waving off the phone from his direct view. He nodded and glanced over at Shadow,

"Well, we have that solved. Call up Tails." Both boys nodded and watched Rouge tap in the smart kitsune's number. They all heard the ring tone loud and clear, as they waited for him to pick up. Suddenly, the young eight year old's voice was heard,

"Hello?" he droned, obviously very sleep-deprived. Relieved, the bat replied with a lighter note,

"Hi, Tails!" she happily remarked. Shadow heard Tails gasp,

"Oh, geez! Hi, Rouge! I thought you were some kind of vendor or whatever…been getting calls like that all night…but forget that! What is it?" he rambled quickly. Rouge smiled and replied,

"Um, remember how you took me to the desert?" on the other side of the line, the yellow one nodded.

"Yea."

"Well, I kind of need a ride back…with two other seats for two other people…" Tails inhaled sharply,

"Oh good, you found them! Are they okay? Should I bring medical equipment? Maybe I should…" Rouge cut him off,

"No, no Tails…it's alright. We just need a ride. Thanks for your concern and all, but we can do that later at your house or something." There was a pause before a nervous laugh was heard,

"Oh…uh, sorry. I'll be over soon." Knuckles chuckled at the kitsune's anxiety.

"That's alright, Tails. Just try to be over really quickly."

"Okay." Was the last reply on the other side of the line. Rouge hung up and stuffed the phone away.

"So, all there's left to do is wait…" Shadow murmured. They all sat down with their backs against the walls. Knuckles held his face with his left hand and sighed. Rouge glanced at the doorway,

"Maybe someone should keep watch or something." The raven black hedgehog stood up,

"I'll go." He left quickly without another word onto the rough sands of the desert. Knuckles raised an eyebrow,

"I think he's claustrophobic…" the echidna didn't finish because Rouge smacked him upside the head.

"Ow! Okay…gee, I'm sorry!" Outside, Shadow enjoyed the cool night of the desert. It didn't burn as much as the daytime…it was more subdued and showed a different side. He closed his infrared eyes and breathed in the distinct, exotic scent of the sand. It swirled around his legs with the granular bits gently scraping his fur. Once and a while, the sand would find its way into one of his wounds…only then would it burn and he would have to wipe it out quickly. As he was bent down taking out bits of sand out of his leg wounds, he studied his shadow. His elongated, dark side was stretched out by the light that poured out of the entrance to the hideaway. The sand that danced past his shadow gave a gritty effect on the ground of the mesa. His attention was then averted from the ground into the sky. The full moon took control of the rest of the nighttime blanket. Stars glittered around the main attraction and clouds framed the silvery-white orb of celestial light. He smiled and blinked a couple of times, as the sky captured his thoughts. Finally, there was time to enjoy and appreciate some things in his life. The day had gone by already and then only thing any of them accomplished was the fact that everything was settled between the three of them…and that Knuckles and himself had beat each other silly. He rethought that over. Everything was settled…that was a good thing and it did mean a lot. Changing his mind, he inwardly crossed out that idea. Settling everything was a BIG accomplishment. It seemed like the endless sea of turmoil and destruction was coming to an end…the sun was beginning to peak through the dark rain clouds of hatred. Shadow was so deep in his thoughts that it wasn't until the X-Tornado appeared to be right up in his face for him to realize that their transportation had arrived. All of his thinking had taken up a great deal of time…which was a fine thing considering the fact that he hated to be bored. He raised a hand to signal that he had acknowledged Tails' arrival, while covering his face with his other hand to keep the sand out of his face. Squinting, he turned away from the whirling mess. Tails did that same two finger salute and hopped off the plane. Rouge and Knuckles rushed outside with big grins on their faces.

"TAILS!!" the echidna shouted before preparing to give the young one a knuckle rub on the head. Tails' eyes widened, and he hid behind Shadow. The hedgehog gave a tired and disgusted look at Knuckles. Rouge smacked him on the cheek and pointed to his obvious spikes. He gave a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his head,

"Sorry…just kidding!" Tails gave a relieved look and tiredly pointed a finger to the airplane,

"Everybody get in." he replied. They all strapped themselves in with Tails in the front, then Knuckles, then Rouge, and finally followed up with Shadow. They all gave a "thumbs up" to go ahead and the kitsune carefully turned the aircraft towards home. He pushed a button and pulled a trigger that sent them on a fast lift-off. Rouge gave a small "eek" of surprise while Knuckles laughed in joy of the ride. The dry, gaunt scene below whipped past and Eggman's tower began to shrink at a fast rate. Home…they were going home…and for the first time ever, they could all relax. Things were fitting into place; puzzle pieces once lost were now recovered. Shadow glanced outside again. The quiet, gentle night cruise in the sky was calming just as it was on the ground. He wistfully wished that he could fly. Rouge was fortunate enough to be able to receive all of the wonders of the air. Sure Shadow was blessed with speed, but what good was that when he missed everything he passed by? Rouge felt the hedgehog's quiet, thinking notion behind her and turned slightly in her seat. She glanced backwards at him and quietly asked,

"Hey, are you okay?" the silent hedgehog looked up, a little surprised, and nodded,

"Yea, why?" she shrugged and bit her lip,

"Oh, uh…I don't know. You just looked so lifeless." Shadow smirked and shook his head,

"So, that's what I look like when I'm **_trying_** to think?" Knuckles shouted a hoot of laughter and the pearl-white bat gave a small smile at Shadow's mild humor.

"Sorry, then…keep on doing what you were doing." He shook once more,

"No, I can't. You woke me from my 'trance'." Rouge frowned,

"Really? …sorry again." He shrugged and leaned back into his seat.

"It doesn't matter anymore." His deep voice rumbled a bit. The bat's eyes focused on the ground. She glanced up and opened her mouth to say something else, but no words came out. Rouge quietly turned face-front again. There was silence and more tension hung in the air as it had before. Knuckles squirmed in his seat. He hated the quietness. Tails, sensing the echidna's uneasiness, spoke up,

"Uh, Sonic's alright now. He's feeling better and awaiting our arrival…he's got something for you…Shadow." The hedgehog's ears perked up at the sound of his name. The sapphire blur had something for him? This was odd. What in the world could it be? He threw a confused look out the window and replied to Tails,

"What do you mean? What'd he get me?" he saw Tails smile and shake his head in the little rearview mirror,

"Can't tell you. Sonic made it clear that it was a secret and was going to stay a secret 'till we got home. It's…uh…big though." He shut his mouth to keep from saying any more, and he returned his attention to the sky at hand. Shadow frowned and mumbled unconsciously about surprises. He realized he was leaning forward and carefully pulled back. Was it something silly or stupid? Was he actually going to enjoy this little surprise? …or was Tails just trying to break the silence…? He paused mid-thought. The aircraft was shaking and made a sharp elevation. Rouge gripped the seat handles next to her and clamped her eyes shut. The one in front hollered again. Shadow twitched. How annoying…

"Sorry…it's the mountains again." Tails apologized to the bat. She nodded dizzily.

"We've already reached them?" Shadow questioned. He never thought that the kitsune's plane would be this fast. Tails bobbed his head up and down.

"Yup." He proclaimed a little proudly. The hedgehog nodded and immediately began to see the quiet, half-asleep landscape still under the spell of night. A couple of farms were on the outskirts of their city. He could barely make out the little skyline in the distance. Down below, millions of little trees that bore all kinds of fruit, shook as the plane whizzed overhead. They were welcoming the four of them home. Fields of corn, and wheat trembled with excitement, as they dipped and rose in a playful manner in the orangish-pink sky. Wait, a pinkish sky? Shadow inwardly asked himself. Yes, morning was already approaching. The whole Eggman commotion had taken a whole day…from daybreak to the next morning. Fluffy rose-coloured clouds hugged the fiery ball of light, as it began to peek over the green hillside. He saw a rooster on a brick-red roof of a farm call out its morning song. The dusty country road that led to the city turned into crusty pavement, as they neared closer and closer. Tails, however, made a quick left turn towards more hills. Rouge gasped again and held and hand to her chest,

"Tails! No more surprises!" she yelled. The young one blushed and nodded,

"Sorry. We can't land in the middle of the city though. They don't have reservations for our landing." The bat nodded and sunk lower into her seat. Ugh, she hated the sharp turns and everything. It was like a giant roller coaster…she hated roller coasters…

"Yea, okay." She murmured.

"We're going to be landing in my garage." Tails didn't live in the city. He said that he wasn't used to a stuffy, overpopulated urban life. The kitsune preferred the wide open lands of the valley. There, he could take-off with his planes as often as he liked, and he was rarely bothered, except for the occasional Sonic visit. But besides that, he was alone and he could freely tinker with whatever he pleased whether it be new riding gear for their next encounter with the Babylon Rogues, or just sprucing up his beloved aircrafts. It was a peaceful life. His home was placed carefully on a flat land mass. It was easy to set down his take-off pads and set up what he needed. Tails' little haven was a pale yellowish-white house with a carefully constructed roof. The rough, gray shingles that made up the roof sturdily held still, as Tails descended for landing. The ears of all the passengers and the pilot popped. Rouge frowned; this was one time when she wished she didn't have big ears. Knuckles made a face and started to shove his finger in his ear in an attempt to un-pop it. Shadow didn't really mind. What was a little discomfort? It would go away with time anyways. Go away with time… His thoughts were interrupted once again, as the outer glass protection pulled back and let the people inside out. The kitsune's tails swirled and he gently dropped himself on the ground of his 'garage/workshop'. The bat did the same. The echidna, always the rough one, merely leapt of the tall height and landed safely. Inwardly, Shadow mumbled, 'Show off…' He followed with a small jump and another quiet landing unlike the noisy garnet one. Then, his sharp, crimson eyes scanned the area,

"So…where's my surprise?" It was a little awkward having to speak up his obvious thoughts, but it was needed. Tails turned around, confused for a minute, before instantly remembering.

"Oh yea; we have to travel into the city." The hedgehog groaned mentally. How long did he have to wait? Impatiently, he replied,

"Okay then, can we hurry up?" Tails nodded.

"Oh sure." He opened a small garage door and inside was a white automobile. Knuckles grinned,

"Hey kiddo! Did you forget that you're only eight? You can't drive!" Tails stuck out his tongue,

"I know that! I was going to let one of the more **_responsible_** people drive, Knux." He frowned and crossed his arms over his furry chest with the distinct white, crescent shape on the front,

"Whaddya saying? I'm not 'responsible'?" Rouge rolled her shiny eyes,

"Yea, pretty much." She answered for Tails. Shadow pushed the ignorant male, towards the vehicle,

"Ladies first." He smirked. The echidna bared his teeth for a split-second, before quickly taking it back. He was quick to forget that the one he was growling at had saved his life. The bat swiftly walked past the two others and took the driver's seat.

"I dunno about you guys, but I think I'm fit for this driving business. You guys are all up in each other's faces." Knuckles grumbled something quietly, as he slid into his seat next to Shadow in the back. Tails took 'second in command'. He whispered the directions, and she shook her head up and down.

"Easy enough…" she mumbled back to him. Her head turned around, and she flashed a grin at the two boys.

"No fighting or I'm turning the car around." She told them. The echidna huffed,

"Geez, we haven't even started going yet!" Rouge put a finger to her lips,

"Ah! No fighting. That includes verbally talking back Knuckles the echidna." He frowned and turned to stare out the window. 'Stupid girls…they think they're so special.' He muttered in his mind. Finally, the bat turned the key and the car started up. She accelerated out of the driveway slowly and set off towards the nearby, metropolitan area. Shadow's fingers intertwined themselves quietly, and he placed his hands in his lap. He was anxious, and this made him uncomfortably stiff. Tails' home seemed so close, since he could go tons of miles per hour, but the way Rouge was driving made the quiet hedgehog shaky. In a matter of minutes though, his worry was washed away. The city soon enveloped them. Nervousness was swallowed up by excitement. It had taken a little longer, by about a few minutes, than Shadow would have liked, but it was do-able. They were cruising along smoothly until Tails shrieked out,

"WAIT, TURN!!" the bat's eyes widened, and she yanked the steering wheel to the left. Knuckles and Shadow were flung onto the right side of the car, and Tails himself was squished against his window. Rouge worriedly glanced behind, wary of any police officers. When they returned to a normal speed the bat sighed a breath of relief and turned around,

"Sorry you guys. That was stupid of me." Knuckles rolled his eyes,

"And you say that you're the one who hates all the fast turns and stuff…" she gave him a warning glare, and he shut up. Her hands firmly gripped themselves onto the wheel shaking just a little bit with the sudden burst of adrenaline. Shadow pushed Knuckles off of him and sent him sliding to the other side. He dusted himself off comically just to annoy the echidna. Knuckles twitched before struggling to keep his foul mouth clamped shut. No other sudden changes were made to everyone's pleasure. Rouge carefully followed the rest of the orders. They screeched to a stop in front of some apartment just a block away from Amy, two blocks away from Sonic, and a block and a half away from Rouge. Knuckles' house was already passed near the outskirts of town. His home was the closest to Tails'. Shadow threw a confused look at Tails, but he merely just shook his head and smiled at the hedgehog. They all hopped out and watched Tails walk up the steps to the front door of the apartment. He turned around and motioned for them to follow. They all gave each other glances and stepped forward to line up behind the kitsune. Tails gave a small smile and whipped out a key. He turned the little metal thing in the keyhole of the brass doorknob and creaked the wooden door open. Tails stepped in and had everyone step in after him. He flicked on the lights and the colours of the room overwhelmed them all.

"SURPRISE!!" they heard many familiar voices shout out. Amy, the blue rival, Cream, her companion, her mother, a silver hedgehog, Blaze, Vector, the purple ninja, and the obnoxious bee all popped their heads from behind furniture. Sonic walked right up to his dark opponent and shook his hand,

"Welcome home, Shad!" the other hedgehog frowned distastefully at his shortened name before taking in the environment around him. Balloons floated about airily, streamers of all colors adorned most of the empty spaces, and a large white banner said,

"Welcome Home, Shadow the Hedgehog!" Shadow gave a perplexed look at everyone before he finally figured out everything for himself. His heart swelled and his jaw dropped a bit. Excitement coursed full and strong throughout his system. It felt like the living daylights were knocked right out of him. He stepped over to all the furniture and rubbed a gloved hand over them. Mouth still open, he turned around to face everyone and swallowed,

"Is this…? You guys…and…and…" they all cheerfully grinned. Knuckles raised an eyebrow,

"Wait! I still don't freaking get it!" Rouge whapped him on the head and shushed him. Tails pushed his way through to the front and replied,

"It was Sonic's idea…he was so upset that we couldn't do anything for you that he randomly thought up something else. He knew you lived in that cardboard box, so we took it and all the possessions in it and moved it in here. Sonic bought this home for you…he bought all the furniture and everything…" the kitsune waved a hand all around. Shadow had to study Tails twice to check if he was lying, but he wasn't… The dark hedgehog's eyes softened for the first time for everyone in a long time. His little note and money given to him by Rouge was up on a mantle. He walked over to Sonic, his bottom lip quivering invisibly. The blue hedgehog kept his sincere smile and held out his hand for a handshake. Shadow took it gratefully and firmly shook it for him and gave him a one-armed hug. No reluctance or regret…it was a true hug. Sonic's face lit up, and he grinned to everybody else.

"Did-did you all see that!? He hugged me!" they all clapped and exchanged words of congratulations to both hedgehogs. Shadow laughed happily for the first time in a while as well. He paused after the little laugh and looked down at himself. Did he just laugh? They all smiled again at each other. Everyone encircled him with love and joy. They babbled excitedly about the new home, and its new resident. Rouge stood off towards a corner of the room letting everyone embrace a new Shadow. She clapped softly for him. All along she'd seen this change, and finally, he brought it up to the surface and to face his friends with his changed outlook. They gave the dark hedgehog gifts and presents to go along with his new home, which was an added enjoyment. Some were filled with money, little trinkets, and homemade things. Shadow accepted them and placed all of the presents on a mantle above his fake fireplace. Sonic rubbed a shoe into the ground,

"Sorry that we couldn't get you a place with a real fireplace. They don't have those kinds of things here." Shadow shook his head,

"That's perfectly fine, Sonic…why would I need a fireplace anyways?" His mask of embarrassment was quickly overtaken with a sly grin,

"Oh, I dunno…you could always cuddle up with someone special in front of that fire…" Shadow closed his eyes and twitched. 'Ugh, some things never change.' He stiffly nodded and patted him lightly on the back. A roar of laughter arose from everyone in the room. There was then a small party that followed after. Amy and Cream had brought some goods they baked the night before, and everyone else had brought utensils, plates, napkins, cups, and all kinds of junky foods that they knew was bad for them. Sonic raised a cup of orange soda, contradictory to his deep blue fur, and hit a plastic fork against it,

"I'd like to declare a toast to Shadow and his new home. They both have taken some searching and looking to find them…but I'm glad we did." Shadow softened his eyes and stood up,

"I'd also like to toast to Sonic…I'm pretty sure we can all see that he can be a good friend." Knuckles piped up,

"Even though he can be really annoying at times!" they all laughed and Sonic shrugged it off as a small joke. Everyone ate, drank, and had a heck of a party. Cream chased Charmy and her beloved chao, Cheese. Tails talked to Espio about what he had accomplished. Amy and Vanilla exchanged more newfound recipes. Vector had a good joke or two with his friend Knuckles. Sonic and Shadow commented on each other and about how they were doing. The only person aside from the hubbub was the quiet bat. She just watched the whooping and the body movement of the rest of the crowd. Slowly, Rouge felt her eyes find themselves stuck on the dark hedgehog again. She thought about the question that she had proposed to him in Eggman's tower. Her answer became a bit clearer when she glanced between the two of the 'contestants'. Her thoughts were defogged even more when she felt something pressing against the palm of her hand. She opened up her tightly balled fists and saw the sparkling, aquamarine blue ring glistening light off itself. Who cared? Who was for her? Who was going to stay? Those questions quickly disappeared amongst the quick yet thoughtful judgment the bat made mentally. She straightened herself up from her slumped position against the abut of the walls. Her legs moved her body forward a bit, but people blocked her way to talk to the shady hedgehog. She glanced away, defeated and slumped back again. Rouge couldn't talk to him… All of a sudden, the blue hedgehog stated that Shadow needed time to himself and his new place, everyone agreed. He had noticed the bat's quiet demeanor, and awkward emotions. Sonic, being the goody-goody he was, decided to help her along. He pushed people out the door, as they quickly filed out and uttered good-byes to their dark friend. Sonic went out last and nudged Shadow's arm,

"I think you gotta talk to the little lady over there…" he pointed towards the bat in the corner, getting ready to leave. The other hedgehog nodded and patted Sonic's arm stiffly once again.

"Okay, thanks." The cobalt friend winked and slid out the door. He shook his head and rubbed his temples. Shadow inhaled quietly and walked over to the quiet friend. She was about to pick up her purse, but the dark hedgehog's hand reached it first. Her twinkling eyes glanced up at him, and she smiled. He picked it up and gave it to her silently. The bat played with it in her own two hands and smiled softly at him again,

"Thanks, Shadow." He nodded, a little awkwardly. There wasn't much to say was there?

"Um, so will you still be helping me at my club?" she whispered quietly. A little part of her wished that she and the dark one could just stay together away from the others…it was great that they had given him all of these things, but were they about to overtake the undeniable friendship they had? Shadow gave a surprised look,

"Of course, why wouldn't I?" he was only about two times, but since everything was settled he could get down to business. She shrugged and glanced at her white shoes.

"I don't know…I just thought you might be doing something with everyone else now that…" she was cut off. His lips were on hers, and it would've been rude to talk them off. The bat decided that what she was going to say probably didn't need to be voiced. They both closed their eyes and took in the different feelings of the other person. The female wrapped her arms around his neck, and he in turn put his arms around her waistline. Holding each other very close, they pulled their faces apart from the short, yet fervent kiss. Shadow brushed a hand across the side of her cheek and studied her face of pleasure. He studied her face with a bit of seriousness in his look. Was she insecure with him? He didn't want that. Rouge bit her lip when she noticed him staring at her. Shadow noticed her shakiness and looked away. His eyes seemed to hurt her every time he looked. They both let go and just stood there. He replied,

"No, I'm not busy. Are you?" she shook her head,

"Uh, no." he nodded and sat down on the new couch. It was amazingly comfortable. The bat took a quiet step forward and sat next to him,

"Do you mind?" she asked. He shrugged,

"It's alright." He mumbled in his deep voice. Just a couple of minutes ago, he was having a good time…with her right now…he was just so…so…so what? Was he nervous? Confused? The bat stared into her lap and then spoke up again,

"Am I bothering you?" he shook his head,

"No, I'm…relieved that you're still here." He admitted. It wasn't exactly what he had in mind to say, but it would do. She smiled, still staring at the ground. He turned towards her and asked,

"Do you want to go home?" she pursed her lips, as she thought.

"Not really. I like being here with you." She smiled again, this time at him. He gave a small smile as well.

"Is there anything you want to do?" he questioned. She paused,

"…can I hug you?" Shadow smirked and unfolded his arms. Rouge grinned and snuggled into him. He was warm and secure. Shadow began to feel more relaxed. The hedgehog liked being on comfortable and subdued terms with her. He felt whole and less confused about his life and what he was going to do now. His body shifted its position to make her more comfortable. For right now, it felt good to live in the moment. Rouge began to feel a bit drowsy next to her warm lover. She hadn't had a good sleep in a long time…and he was so nice to lean against…and…and… She didn't get to finish her thought. Her sea blue eyes closed themselves, and Shadow's breathing lulled her to sleep. The hedgehog felt her breathing slow down. He moved his head down and kissed her lightly on the top of her head. The ring he gave her caught his eye, and he looked at it. The engraving on the outside had changed…now it said "I love you too." He gave a confused and surprised glance again. Shadow glanced at Rouge's sleeping façade…she was smiling and her face was gentle. His eyes softened and he laid back again. At least now he knew that she returned his love…that was a comforting thought. He felt relieved and immediately felt sleepy. Is that what was keeping him awake for long nights? The possibility that she may not have loved him? He couldn't try to reason with himself because sleep overtook him. Now he could rest easy…they both had succumbed to slumber and lay there contently, as the sun rose up in the bright blue sky. Life toils on after the end of a story and the writer cannot write every phrase or feeling felt. There are many spats and discouragements along every life, but to balance it out, there are feelings such as love which two people felt. You can hate somebody, but still love them. You can forget about somebody, but still remember them. It can be sunny out, but it can be a time for rest. To the two lovers, there's no fine line between any two things. It's a world of oxymorons out there…

Rouge poised the pen in mid-air. Shadow had his arms around her.

"That's a good ending." He murmured. She smiled and turned around to kiss his nose.

"A good ending to a good story…"

AN: Sorry for the little author interruption there...=.=" I really didn't wanna do it, but I had to. Something happened, and I didn't really wanna go back and re-indent everything normally, so yea...sorry! . You guys have to put up with my laziness! Well, this is the end. :) Thanks for reading you guys! I'll post some more oneshots for Sonic that I have already written as well when I get the chance to. Final goodbye (for now) y'allz. :) See you later!


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